Israel: Barak System Will Enhance Slovakia's Ability to Defend Its Airspace

Tel Aviv/Bratislava, 23 April (TASR) - The Israeli Defence Ministry stated on Thursday that the delivery of the Barak MX air defence system to Slovakia "marks a significant enhancement in Slovakia's ability to defend its airspace against the full spectrum of modern aerial threats while further reinforcing NATO's collective security architecture". "This delivery, which was completed ahead of schedule and includes training and operational readiness, represents a significant improvement in Slovakia's ability to defend its airspace against the full spectrum of modern aerial threats, from drones and fighter jets to cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, while further reinforcing NATO's collective security architecture," the Israeli ministry wrote in a post on LinkedIn. "[The delivery of the system] reflects the growing global demand for advanced, reliable, and rapidly deployable solutions and involves meaningful cooperation with Slovak industry, support for local production, technology transfer, and economic growth," added the ministry. Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) informed about the first delivery of the Barak MX air defence system a week ago. He specified that the first battery had already been deployed at an undisclosed location at a certain "point of intersection between our nuclear power plants". 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. am