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Diehl is displaying IRIS-T SLS Mk. 4 on a Mercedes-Benz Zetros 6x6 vehicle at ILA Berlin 2026.
BERLIN—Diehl Defense has revealed a mobile launcher for its ground-launched IRIS-T missile that will be capable of firing the weapon on the move.
The company’s SLS Mk. 4 system packages the complete air defense system—including the command-and-control, radar sensor and missile launchers—onto one wheeled vehicle.
The aim is for a system that can be “more mobile, more flexible and be a gap filler,” Harold Buschek, Diehl Defense’s chief program officer, told Aviation Week on the eve of the ILA Berlin Airshow. The vehicle would be able to protect convoys or large gatherings of troops.
Typical load out for the vehicle would be eight ready-to-launch quad-packed missiles that can be fired vertically or from a slant angle.
IRIS-T SLS has an effective range of 12 km (8 mi.) and an altitude coverage of up to 6 km.
Diehl has also built in a high-level of automation into the system in a bid to reduce the demands for operators of the system.
Furthermore, the company plans for the system to be able to fire on the move, albeit not at high road speeds.
Unlike previous IRIS-T SLS launchers, the missiles are stored in launch boxes for greater protection from the elements. Earlier IRIS-T SLS launch systems had the missiles on launch rails in the open, such as on the Swedish Mk.1 system which uses the Hagglunds BsV10 tracked vehicle and the Norwegian Nomad which uses covered launch rails.
At ILA, the system has been displayed on a Mercedes-Benz Zetros 6x6 vehicle equipped with a Saab Giraffe radar fitted to a raisable mast. Diehl says the integration of additional effectors, such as the company’s Cicada anti-drone effector or a weapon station, is also possible.
Development of the Mk. 4 takes lessons from IRIS-T SLS and SLM operations in Ukraine where the medium-range IRIS-T SLM has emerged to be highly effective against Russian cruise missiles. Buschek said the Russians have tried to develop counters for the missile but that a hotline to the Ukrainians has allowed the company to keep ahead of the threat.
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