The Slovakian Ministry of Defense has completed the bid evaluation process for very short-range and medium-range air defense systems and recommends that the mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM-M) system be procured from Israel, through a Government-to-Government agreement.

According to a statement by the Ministry, it had concluded that the best offer came from Israel, after taking into account all relevant criteria such as technical capabilities, total procurement price, integrated logistical support services, service life costs, schedule of delivery, and training of operators. The Runners-up were France and Germany.

As for the very short-range man-portable/crew-served air defense, the Slovak MoD recommends procurement from Poland. According to the winning bids, the overall procurement costs for the two types of AD systems stand at €193,985,880, and the systems are set to be delivered into service with the Slovak Armed Forces from 2024 to 2027. The final approval decision on the best solution now rests with the SVK Government.

Securing Slovakia's Integrated Air and Missile Defense has been among the shortages in the nation’s long-term defense capabilities, and a priority for the government since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It holds true that thanks to our allies, we have the opportunity to address this need to our satisfaction, even in view of the value that we can get for the resources available. The proposed solution reflects the specific needs of our Armed Forces and our country,”  said MoD Secretary, Marian Majer.

“Based on our lessons learned from the ongoing conflict, Slovakia and many other allied states must urgently address the need to develop their Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities,” said Director General of the MoD Modernization Department and National Armaments Director, Michal Homza.

“Therefore, this situation places additional demands on existing production capacities, which results in higher prices and longer delivery periods. For these reasons, it is inevitable for Slovakia to make this decision as soon as possible.”

The Slovakian announcement did not name a specific Israeli company regarding procurement. Recently, it has upgraded its capabilities with multiple Israeli-made defense systems, such as Elbit’s Iron Fist active protection system at the end of 2022 and advanced IAI radar systems in 2021.

Image - Reuters