Latvia and Germany strengthen defense cooperation by signing a memorandum on “IRIS-T” system maintenance in the Baltics

On Monday, March 16, Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds visited Berlin on a working trip, where he met with the Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany, Boris Pistorius. During the visit, the minister also attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the German defence industry company “Diehl Defence” and the Latvian company “Ripo Remonta Centrs”.

The signed memorandum defines the principles of cooperation and confirms the intention of both parties to establish a joint venture that will provide maintenance, repair, and technical support services for the “IRIS-T” air defense system in the Baltic states.

The document serves as a strategic cooperation framework and declaration of intent, outlining the readiness of both companies to develop long-term industrial cooperation and strengthen the capacity of the local defense industry. The planned cooperation will promote the availability of critically important military technologies, ensure rapid system maintenance, and strengthen the defense capabilities of the Baltic states.

“This memorandum is an important step not only in strengthening the security of Latvia’s airspace, but also in developing the domestic defense industry. It will ensure operative technical support for air defense systems, promote the transfer of technological knowledge, and strengthen the combat readiness of our armed forces, so that in a crisis situation we can fully rely on local experts,” emphasized A. Sprūds.

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Defence and the National Armed Forces for the successful cooperation so far, as well as to “Diehl Defence” for the opportunity to participate in a project important for Latvia’s defense. We have been servicing army transport and equipment for almost nine years, and this project will be an important step in the further development of our company, allowing us to acquire new technical knowledge, expand our team, and build new infrastructure,” emphasized Ivo Rubīns, member of the board of “Ripo Remonta Centrs”.

“The signing of the MoU with “RIPO Remonta”centrs” is an important and logical step within “Diehl Defence’s” strategy. It extends our current service network with a Baltic support hub capable of serving users in Latvia as well as nearby neighbouring countries. The cooperation with a local partner ensures that customers receive immediate service when and where required, leading to a high availability of the supported systems,” said Oliver Haas, Senior Vice President of Customer Support at “Diehl Defence”.

“Diehl Defence is pleased to approach this initiative in line with the Security of Supply requirements of the Latvian Ministry of Defence,” emphasized Gianluca Palmisano, Vice President for Industrial Participation and Offsets at “Diehl Defence”.

As previously reported, on November 30, 2023, the Ministry of Defence signed a supply contract with the German company “Diehl Defence” for the procurement of the “IRIS-T” medium-range air defense system.

It is planned that “Diehl Defence” will begin deliveries of the medium-range air defense systems in 2026. By then, Latvia must train personnel, improve infrastructure, and fulfill other prerequisites so that when the “IRIS-T” systems are delivered, the National Armed Forces will be ready to fully operate and maintain them.