IRIS-T: What is the German air defence system being used by Ukrainian forces?

The first of four German air defence systems is being used by Ukrainian forces in the south of the country.

According to a spokesman for the Air Force Command, the IRIS-T Surface Launched Missile system cannot be found anywhere else in the world – with Germany providing four of the weapons systems.

But what is IRIS-T and how is it helping the Ukrainian military?

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It is capable of stopping Russian cruise missiles destroy Ukrainian cities, providing medium-range, high-altitude cover.

IRIS-T has a missile range of 25 miles, radar range of 155 miles and missile altitude of 12.5 miles – with the missiles using infrared imaging to identify targets.