The German Air Force aims to declare initial operational readiness for the Israeli-developed system this year.
By IDF Club
Germany’s acquisition of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system remains on schedule, according to outgoing Luftwaffe Commander Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, who recently visited Israel to receive the first components of the advanced system.
The visit concluded just before a Houthi missile landed near Ben-Gurion International Airport.
The German Air Force aims to declare initial operational readiness for the Israeli-developed system this year.
Produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Arrow 3 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in near space—up to 100 kilometers above Earth.
Gerhartz received the system’s central communications module during his IAI tour.
“With Arrow 3, Germany is acquiring an Israeli weapons system that will help protect Germany from aerial threats,” he said.
Deployment is planned across three sites, beginning with the Holzdorf airbase in eastern Germany, where construction is already underway.
The €4 billion deal, signed last year, marks the largest defense export in Israel’s history.
Gerhartz, who first visited Israel as Air Force Inspector in 2018, is expected to assume a senior NATO post in Brunssum, Netherlands, later this year.
