WATCH: Ukrainian IRIS-T Blows Russian Cruise Missile Out of the Sky

Ukraine’s air defense intercepted and destroyed a Russian cruise missile using the German-made IRIS-T system, with the moment captured on video.

“The IRIS-T air defense system of the West Air Command has destroyed a Russian cruise missile,” Ukraine’s Air Force West Air Command reported on Facebook.

Starting on the evening of March 11, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone and missile attack targeting Kyiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.

The assault included Iskander-M ballistic missiles and over 130 drones.

The video, the time and location of which Kyiv Post could not independently verify, shows an IRIS-T system launching a missile and successfully intercepting a Russian cruise missile.

The IRIS-T is an air-to-air missile or a short-range surface-to-air missile equipped with an advanced infrared guidance system. Originally developed by Germany with six partner nations as a replacement for the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the IRIS-T also serves as the basis for the IRIS-T SL surface-to-air missile system.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on March 9 that Ukraine has signed a memorandum of understanding with the German defense company Diehl Defense, the manufacturer of the IRIS-T air defense system.

The agreement aims to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses by expanding cooperation and significantly increasing the supply of IRIS-T systems and missiles. Under the deal, the supply of IRIS-T air defense systems and missiles to Ukraine is set to triple.

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This follows Germany’s pledge in September 2024, when Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed an order of 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine, including eight medium-range IRIS-T SLM systems and nine short-range IRIS-T SLS systems.

The IRIS-T system has become a key element of Ukraine’s air defense strategy, providing high-precision interception against a wide range of aerial threats.