Germany Aims to Acquire More Arrow 3 Missile Defense Systems from Israel

Germany is planning to purchase additional Arrow 3 missile defense systems from Israel.

The Bundeswehr is currently running a program to purchase three Arrow 3 systems with the initial equipment already being delivered. The new acquisition involves three additional systems and would not only double but extend the missile defense across the entire national territory and neighboring countries, integrating with the Patriot GEM-T serving with the Luftwaffe ground units.

Relations between Germany and Israel have returned to calm, following the German Government’s repeal of the weapons systems and equipment sales embargo, which had been imposed due to Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Germany’s Arrow Program

In 2023 Israel sold the Arrow-3 system to Germany in a deal worth 3.5 billion dollars, the largest contract to date obtained abroad by Israeli defense industries. The German program involves the participation of MBDA Deutschland GmbH, which collaborates with partners Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elbit Systems.

The United States is a partner in the Arrow project, which necessitated the acquisition of export authorization from the Washington Government, with the U.S. industry involved in the production of some system components.

In Germany, the Arrow 3 is intended to protect critical infrastructure and will be integrated into the NATO protective shield, as well as the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), where it will be one of the main defensive bastions.

Features of the Arrow 3

Currently, the Arrow 3 is the only Western system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere. It consists of a command post, radar sensors, launchers with four guided missiles each, and other peripheral devices.

The Arrow 3 was jointly developed by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

The guided Arrow-3 missile can intercept an incoming warhead (reentry vehicle) with a direct hit, the so-called ‘hit-to-kill’ principle. The enemy missile is not destroyed by an explosion as with the previous Arrow-2 equipped with an explosive warhead, but by the kinetic energy of a direct hit, thanks to the sophisticated guidance system that allows the Arrow-3 to intercept the target with extreme precision.

Photo credit @Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)