Pistorius announces delivery of self-propelled howitzers worth EUR 150M, air defense systems to Ukraine

Germany has pledged to send additional Iris-T air defense systems and self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine in the coming months.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced this on the sidelines of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on September 6, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, Germany intends  to provide Ukraine with 12 more modern Panzerhaubitz 2000 self-propelled howitzers, 6 of them this year and 6 more next year, for a total sum of 150 million euros.

These howitzers have a range of over 30 kilometers.

He said that the Germany is financing the production of 12 Iris-T SLM systems and 12 Iris-T SLS systems. According to him, Germany has already transferred seven of them: 3 Iris-T SLS and 4 Iris-T SLM, two more will be delivered this year.

Additionally, he said that Stinger, Skynex, and Gepard (60 units) are scheduled for transfer, with the process expected to continue until at least 2026.

Following conversations with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in Berlin on Wednesday and President Volodymyr Zelensky today, Pistorius emphasized the urgent need for ground systems for to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He reminded that Germany, together with Denmark, has already handed over 58 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks together, and that a further 77 tanks of the same model will be delivered as soon as possible in cooperation with the Netherlands and Denmark.

In addition, Germany will continue to transfer armored demining vehicles and bridge paving machines.

Moreover, Pistorius emphasized the importance of training the Ukrainian military. He stated that since November 2022, over 60,000 soldiers have undergone training in Germany on a variety of weapons systems. In particular, 10,000 will be trained this year. The Minister emphasized the high motivation of Ukrainians who learn very quickly.

On September 6, the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is taking place at the Ramstein air base in Germany, with the President of Ukraine also taking part.