German and Slovak officials mark the signature of an agreement by which Germany will donate two MANTIS air-defense systems to Slovakia to compensate for the redeployment to Vilnius of the German Patriot battery previously based in Slovakia.
During their meeting at the Slovakian Ministry of Defence (MOD) today, the Slovak National Director for Defence Capabilities, Dalibor Pavolka, and his German counterpart, Thomas Frankenberger, have signed a gift agreement under which the Federal Republic of Germany will donate two MANTIS very short range air defence (VSHORAD) systems to Slovakia to bolster the country’s air defences on its eastern border with Ukraine, which is otherwise protected by national and Allied GBAD capabilities.
According to Defence Minister Martin Sklenár, the first of the two systems will be supplied to Slovakia within a matter of weeks, with the exact delivery date still to be confirmed by the German side. Slovakia will get the MANTIS systems for free and permanently, building on the correct SVK-DEU relationship, expert talks, and the Alliance’s common goal – to beef up NATO’s eastern defences, of which Slovakia forms part.