Germany, which has been rearming since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on Thursday ratified the purchase of the Arrow-3 missile defence system from Israel, a “historic” deal that should help secure European skies.
The Arrow system, which is expected to be delivered in 2025, should “make German air defence ready for the future,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at the signing of the commercial agreement in Berlin with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. He added that this was "a historic day" for the two countries.
Israel had touted the contract, worth an estimated $3.5 billion, as “the biggest ever signed” by Israel, whose defence industry is a flagship sector.
The deal is “moving for every Jew,” coming “just 80 years after the end of the Second World War” and the “tragedy of the Holocaust,” Gallant said.
The Arrow system is developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Arrow-3, the top level of this anti-missile system, is designed to intercept missiles above the atmosphere with a range of up to 2,400 km. It therefore has a much greater range than the American Patriot air defence system and the IRIS-T system used to date in Germany.
Berlin plans to add the Arrow device to these two systems to form its European missile defence shield project, launched by Olaf Scholz after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Since early 2022, Germany has embarked on a historic turning point after several decades of underinvestment in defence, earmarking €100 billion for its army.
