German air defense manufacturer awaiting record orders after success of systems in Ukraine

The German defense company Hensoldt AG announced that it expects a significant increase in orders for its medium-range air defense radars in 2023 thanks to the efficient operation of the systems supplied to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.

According to Hensoldt CEO Thomas Müller, the volume of orders for TRML-4D radars, which are used as part of the IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile complex (manufactured by Diehl Defense company), will amount to hundreds of millions of euros. The company is also expecting an increase in orders for its other systems.

Hensoldt has delivered four automotive radars to Ukraine and is preparing to deliver two more.

Confident in future demand, Hensoldt began manufacturing TRML radars even before new orders came in. The company is confident that it will be able to sell them quickly given the increase in Germany's defense spending.

Germany is in talks with Diehl Defense to purchase up to eight IRIS-T anti-missile systems for its planned European Sky Shield initiative.

Last year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the allocation of 100 billion euros for the modernization of the armed forces and promised to increase defense spending to at least 2% of GDP every year. According to NATO estimates, Germany spent 1.49% of its GDP on defense last year.

Hensoldt also drew attention to the change in the positions of German banks regarding lending to defense companies.

"Banks have told us they want to fund us. What people now realize is that if you don’t have security, nobody cares about sustainability," Müller told Bloomberg in an interview.

On February 14, 2023, Berlin announced that it would deliver two more IRIS-T anti-missile systems to Kyiv in the coming months.

On February 24, Ukraine's Air Force announced the recruitment of cadets for training on IRIS-T, NASAMS, Patriot, and SAMP/T systems.

On March 16, Germany handed Ukraine more missiles for MARS II and IRIS-T, as well as 155 mm rounds.