The Arrow 3 system was handed over to Berlin by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s director-general, whose parents survived the Nazi Holocaust
Israel has handed over the first operational Arrow 3 system to the German military at a formal ceremony at an air force base near Berlin.
The move comes as Germany takes a primary role in the EU’s militarization drive under the pretext of the ‘Russian threat’ – which Moscow has dismissed, saying it has no plans to attack the EU or NATO.
Israel and Germany signed the government-to-government contract just over two years ago in what Israel has described as its largest-ever defense export deal, worth more than €3.6 billion ($4.2 billion).
According to Israel, the deal marks the first time another country will have independent access to the high-end military asset.
The Arrow 3 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, operating at altitudes above 100km (62 miles) and with a range of about 2,400km. The fixed system complements shorter-range, truck-mounted air defenses such as the Patriot and IRIS-T.
“As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, I stand here deeply moved because a ballistic-missile defense system, developed by the finest Jewish minds in Israel’s aerospace industry out of existential necessity, will now help defend Germany,” Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram, whose parents survived Nazi Germany’s Holocaust, said during the handover ceremony.
Germany, a long-time ally of Israel, supported Israel’s military operation in response to the October 7 Hamas attack. The ensuing war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the health authorities. Last month, Berlin resumed weapons exports to Israel.
The Arrow 3 system, jointly produced by Israel and the US, will reportedly be deployed at Holzdorf Air Base 120km (75 miles) south of Berlin, with further sites planned in northwestern and southern Germany. It is said that the system is designed to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles such as Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik medium-range missile system.
The EU has increasingly used anti-Russian rhetoric to justify massive military expenditures. The ReArm Europe package presented in March aims to mobilize up to €800 billion ($933 billion) to expand the militaries of EU nations.
Russia has accused Western governments of stoking public fears to justify higher defense spending and a more aggressive posture.
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