Germany has signed an agreement with Israel for the acquisition of the Arrow-3 air defense system, valued at approximately €4 billion ($4.2 billion).
The Arrow-3 is a hypersonic anti-ballistic missile developed jointly by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, as a collaborative effort between Israel and the United States.
This system is capable of intercepting incoming missiles at altitudes exceeding 100 kilometers (62 miles) and ranges of up to 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles). The capacity to engage targets beyond Earth’s atmosphere makes it highly effective in countering long-range missile threats.
The contract encompasses the acquisition of radars, launchers and interceptor missiles. Scheduled for delivery in 2025, the Arrow-3 system should be deployed at three strategic sites within Germany. The range of the system will provide coverage for neighboring nations including Poland, Romania and the Baltic countries.
The agreement was formalized during a ceremony held in Berlin, where German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, presided over the signing. Both ministers stressed the importance of this deal.
The acquisition was made within the framework of an initiative announced by Germany in October 2022 called the European Sky Shield. The project aimed at mutualizing air defense capabilities over Europe through joint acquisitions.
On June 15, 2023, the Bundestag approved funding for the acquisition of Israeli Arrow 3 missile defense systems and German IRIS-T SLM air defense systems as part of this initiative.
The European Sky Shield drew criticism from France, mostly likely because it had shunned the Franco-Italian ASTER 30-SAMP/T system [also called MAMBA – ed. note] developed by the European missile manufacturer MBDA.
