Kalinak: Slovakia Receives First Barak MX Air Defence Battery

Bratislava, 16 April (TASR) - Slovakia has received its first delivery of the ordered Barak MX air defence system, with the first battery already deployed at an undisclosed location, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) reported on Thursday. "It is a somewhat more complicated issue for me to explain precisely, as there have been significant delays in the production of these systems," the minister noted. Kalinak said the battery of the Israeli system is located at a certain "point of intersection between our nuclear power plants". He added that weapons system experts will arrive in Slovakia, whereas Slovak soldiers have already completed part of their training. According to Kalinak, Slovakia has had the battery for approximately ten days. The system will take several weeks to become fully operational. All six batteries should be delivered to Slovakia by 2030. The Defence Ministry ordered the Barak MX air defence system from Israel at the end of 2024. Originally, the first battery was expected to arrive in Slovakia at the turn of 2025 and 2026, but the delivery was delayed, also due to the war in Iran. mf