Diehl Defence announced today that it has signed a contract with the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) for the adaptation of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system for deployment on the German Navy’s Type 125 frigates.
The Type 125 frigates were designed at a time when the German Navy’s operational focus placed considerable emphasis on stabilisation and crisis-management missions. Their existing armament includes two 21-cell Mk 49 launchers for RIM-116C RAM Block 2 short-range surface-to-air missiles.
Under the contract, Diehl Defence will develop prototypes and conduct test firings to assess the system’s integration with the Type 125’s existing architecture.
In October 2025, Diehl Defence participated in the Maritime Firing Exercise 2025 with a navalised demonstrator of its IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defence system. The demonstrator’s anti-air warfare module was installed on the C-deck of the Type 125 frigate Baden-Württemberg. Diehl Defence said the system was developed and brought to the firing stage in less than ten months and met all established test and evaluation objectives.
At this stage, it is unclear whether the IRIS-T SLM launchers will be permanently integrated into the Type 125 frigates, potentially replacing one of the existing Mk 49 launchers, or deployed in a containerised configuration similar to that used during the 2025 trials. In the latter arrangement, the system was embarked in 20-foot containers installed on the C-deck, as shown in an image released by Diehl Defence. Adapting the missiles on the C-deck would be the faster and cheaper option.
With this contract, the mighty Type 125 class, with a full-load displacement of 7,200 tonnes, will finally get some teeth to match its size.
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