US Government Approves Israel’s Export of Arrow-3 Air Defense Systems To Germany
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US continues to work to strengthen Europe’s air defense. In this context, the White House has approved the sale of the Arrow 3 air defense system to Germany, after previously approving the sale of the David’s Sling air defense system to Finland. The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the development. According to the ministry, “The US government has approved the historic procurement of the Arrow 3 defense system to Germany. The IMOD, German Federal MOD and Israel Aerospace Industries will sign the landmark $3.5 billion defense agreement, marking Israel’s largest ever defense deal.”
Following US government approval, the Israeli Ministry of Defense will hold a ceremony to sign the $600 million Letter of Commitment, which constitutes the beginning of the agreement, with the participation of senior officials from the Israeli and German Defense Ministries, as the next step. The final contract will be ready for signing by the end of 2023, following approval by the two countries’ parliaments. The Arrow 3 system “will be operational by the end of 2025 and will be part of the European air defense system,” said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chairman of the German Bundestag’s Defense Committee, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, stated, “This is a significant decision that will help build Israel’s technological and economic power. Germany’s acquisition of Israel’s defense capabilities is particularly meaningful to every Jew.” The defense minister also stated, “Our cooperation with the US government is essential to the system’s development process and to the achievement of this significant agreement. This reflects once again the powerful defense ties between the US and Israel,” adding that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin played a “central role in this process.”
Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), said, “We at Israel Aerospace Industries are happy to have received approval from the US Department of State, alongside our partners in the project, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, to develop the world’s finest air defense system, Arrow 3, for Germany. We express our gratitude to the German Parliament for placing their trust in us by selecting a system manufactured by IAI. I have no doubt that being equipped with this system will be the best answer to the security and protection needs of German citizens and their surroundings.”
The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) currently have three air defense systems in its arsenal that are effective at different altitudes and can be employed against cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. These are the Patriot missile defense system, the IRIS-T SLM air defense system, and the Gepard anti-aircraft gun. These systems, however, are inadequate against Russian ICBMs and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons in the event of a potential Russian strike. With a range of 2,400 kilometers, the Arrow-3 interceptor can neutralize conventional and unconventional ballistic missiles both inside the atmosphere (inner atmosphere) and outside the atmosphere (exoatmospheric) at altitudes of up to 100 kilometers.
The Arrow 3 interceptor is part of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS), which was developed in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to counter the current ballistic missile threats to the State of Israel. This weapon system can launch interceptors and is capable of launching two types of missiles, the Arrow 2 and the Arrow 3. An Arrow fire control radar and a battle management command center are also utilized in the system. The Arrow-3 is an exoatmospheric (capable of intercepting incoming threats outside the atmosphere) hypersonic anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles. A 2-stage solid fuel rocket motor propellant powers the missile, which can travel at 9 times the speed of sound.