Wednesday, December 3rd, saw Germany’s military put into service the first part of a ballistic missile defence system costing roughly $4 billion (€3.42 billion), to better protect Europe amid high tensions with Russia.
The Israeli-made Arrow system, developed with support from the United States, will form part of the broader European Sky Shield effort launched in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, which raised alarm over possible gaps in NATO’s European air defences. The deal to supply the Arrow 3 system—inked in 2023—was described as Israel’s largest-ever military export contract.
According to Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius
For the first time, we are gaining the capability for early warning and defence against long-range ballistic missiles for our population and infrastructure.
We are strengthening the European pillar of NATO and fulfilling a NATO planning objective.…We are demonstrating that Germany is taking responsibility.
Wednesday’s commissioning marked the first time an Arrow system has been deployed outside Israel, something that Germany’s defence ministry described as “a clear signal of the close ties and partnership between Israel and Germany.” An Israeli delegation joined German military officials at the Holzdorf air base in eastern Germany for a ceremony formally commissioning the first phase of the Arrow 3 system.
The system is designed to shoot down long-range ballistic missiles that fly above the Earth’s atmosphere. The system is made up of radar detection systems, launchers and arrays of interceptor missiles reportedly capable of hitting targets at altitudes of up to 100 kilometres.
Further elements are expected to be deployed at additional locations in Germany once the system is fully operational.
