The shortage of air defense missiles has become a critical challenge for Ukraine, even when air defense systems are delivered directly from manufacturers. Against this backdrop, Germany's Diehl Defence plans to open a new production line for IRIS-T family missiles.
According to journalist Björn Müller, these plans were announced by Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch during the Handelsblatt Security and Defense Conference. He stated that the new production facilities would be capable of producing up to 2,000 missiles annually.
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Defense Express notes that once this project is implemented, overall IRIS-T missile production would effectively triple, representing an increase of more than 200 percent. Available information indicates that production plans for 2025 stood at between 800 and 1,000 missiles.
At present, there are no details on whether construction of the new facilities has already begun or when it might start if it has not. There are also no announced timelines for the full-scale launch of production, suggesting that this expansion may still be a long-term prospect.
It should also be recalled that Diehl Defence recently announced plans to increase production of IRIS-T SLM and SLS surface-to-air missile systems to 16 batteries per year. Although missile output was not specified at the time, a broader production ramp-up was clearly implied.
In addition, in August 2025, the company stated that it had invested one billion euros in expanding its production capacity for these air defense systems. This investment also covered missile manufacturing, which is in high demand not only for Ukraine but for other customers as well.
It is important to note that the announced figure of 2,000 IRIS-T missiles covers the entire missile family. This includes not only surface-to-air missiles but also air-to-air variants. As a result, only part of this output will be allocated to ground-based air defense systems, while the remainder will be used to fulfill aviation-related contracts. Even so, the increase represents a significant reinforcement of production capacity.
Ukraine is already facing a severe shortage of air defense ammunition, so production growth projected for the future may not sound particularly encouraging in the short term. Nevertheless, this expansion represents a step in the right direction and, together with other initiatives, could help gradually ease the existing problem.
From the Defense Express side, we urges you to join a fundraising for what is already working: One United Fundraiser: Fundraising by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for interceptor drones.
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