Germany and 14 other NATO countries have launched a project to create a European air defense system, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and 14 of her colleagues signed a declaration of intent for the European Sky Shield air defense system in Brussels on Thursday, Oct. 13.

According to Lambrecht, the goal of the project is to close gaps in air defense. Amid Russia's war against Ukraine, the minister noted that we live in threatening times, fraught with challenges.

The project initiated by Germany plans to combine various air defense systems designed to destroy ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat drones. Among these systems is the German Iris-T, one of which Germany has just delivered to Ukraine. The Bundeswehr has not yet deployed these systems.

Now it's important to get Patriot, Iris-T and even more advanced air defense systems quickly, Lambrecht said. The U.S.-Israel Arrow 3 is being considered as a system to intercept missiles. Germany, Great Britain, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia signed a joint declaration of intent. Estonia also intends to join the project.