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With Arrow 3, First European Nation Now Shielded From Ballistic Missile Attacks
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Germany has placed the first Israeli-made Arrow 3 ballistic missile defense battery on operational duty at the Schönewalde/Holzdorf air base south of Berlin, becoming the first European country formally under the protection of the system against long-range Russian missiles, according to Militarnyi on December 3.
At a ceremony on the base, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the activation of initial elements of Arrow 3 “for the first time gives us early warning and protection of our population and infrastructure from long-range ballistic missiles.”
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He called the capability “unique among our European partners” and a key contribution to the country’s role “in the heart of Europe.”
The German armed forces said the initial operational capability means radar, launchers and trained personnel are now ready to conduct limited defensive operations.
Arrow 3 is to be integrated into a multi-layered shield alongside US-made Patriot and German IRIS-T SLM systems and ultimately stationed at three sites across the country by 2030.
Arrow 3, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in collaboration with the US Missile Defense Agency, is designed to intercept medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere at altitudes exceeding 100 kilometers and at ranges of up to approximately 2,400 kilometers, destroying incoming warheads in space before they approach their targets.
Germany agreed in 2023 to purchase Arrow 3 for about $4.18 billion, in what officials in Berlin and Jerusalem have described as Israel’s largest single defense export, with the system intended to shield German territory and NATO partners from potential strikes by systems such as Russia’s Iskander and other long-range ballistic missiles.
Earlier, it was reported that Germany and France agreed to build the Odin’s Eye missile early-warning system, which combines over-the-horizon radars and a satellite constellation as a core element of Europe’s missile defense architecture, linking it to Germany’s planned use of Israel’s Arrow 3 interceptors.
