- Israel will soon deploy its top missile defense system, Arrow 3, to Germany.
- Arrow’s chief engineer told BI that the system has already proved its worth in combat.
- The transfer next year comes amid growing concerns in Europe over Russian missiles.
Germany is slated to receive a top Israeli missile defense system that helped protect the Middle Eastern country from two massive Iranian attacks earlier this year.
Israel will deploy the Arrow 3, a highly advanced system designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, on German soil in 2025 as part of a $3.5 billion deal announced last fall in what officials said is the country’s largest-ever defense export.
The transfer comes as Europe and NATO allies like Germany face a rising Russian missile threat to its eastern flank. Just last week, Moscow used a new intermediate-range ballistic missile to strike Ukraine.
Arrow 3 made its combat debut just a year ago in the early days of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. But the system’s chief engineer told Business Insider that it has already proven its worth against two massive Iranian missile barrages in April and October.
“Arrow 3 is the right answer for Germany, and also, it’ll be a part of an even greater system to German allies in Europe,” Boaz Levy, the CEO of the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, said in a recent interview.
The Arrow systems are a product of IAI and US manufacturer Boeing. They were developed because Israel needed a way to defend itself from longer-range ballistic missiles. Together, they comprise the upper echelon of the country’s air defense network.
Arrow 2, which was first deployed in 2000, can intercept targets in the upper atmosphere. It was followed in 2017 by Arrow 3, which can eliminate targets in space and up to 1,500 miles away — well beyond the ranges of the US’s Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems. Both systems use a two-stage solid-fueled interceptor to engage incoming ballistic missiles.
Israel confirmed the first operational use of Arrow 3 in November 2023 after it was used to take down a missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. But the system saw its most serious tests against two massive Iranian attacks earlier this year.
In mid-April, Iran fired over 300 missiles and drones — including some 120 ballistic missiles — at Israel, which, along with partner forces like the US and UK, shot down nearly all the munitions.
Six months later, in early October, Iran fired a much larger salvo of ballistic missiles — around 200 — at Israel. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, including by American warships.
Earlier this month, the Israeli defense ministry said Arrow “proved effective” in both Iranian attacks. Levy declined to provide specific figures on its performance. However, he said the system performed as intended, adding that “the results that we received over those attacks are really phenomenal.”
“We believe that the system proved its capability during these two attacks,” he said.
Arrow’s demonstrated capability in the Middle East conflicts will make it a valuable asset to Germany as Europe grows increasingly concerned with the Russian missile threat. Moscow’s war against Ukraine and its widespread employment of ballistic missiles has prompted NATO countries to seek ways to bolster their air defenses.
Unease over Russian missile capabilities was underscored last week after Moscow launched an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesperson described the weapon as a “new type of lethal capability” deployed on the battlefield and called it a “concern” to the US.
When Arrow 3 eventually arrives in Germany, it will complement NATO’s existing network of systems capable of ballistic missile defense, including the American-made MIM-104 Patriot battery that has been a workhorse in Ukraine.
In a statement earlier this month, Israel’s defense ministry said it has started coordinating joint preparations with Berlin for the initial deployment of Arrow 3 next year. It did not provide a specific date.
Levy said the deployment to Germany is just a starting point, but it comes at a crucial time as missile attacks become more common in conflicts.
“We should expect to have missile attacks in future wars, and that’s why a country that wants to defend its assets needs to have such a sophisticated system,” Levy said. “Arrow was designed for that.”
“I believe that more customers will come,” he added.
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