According to information published by the Israeli Newspaper website "The Jerusalem Post" on March 7, 2023, Germany could announce next week the purchase of Israeli-made Arrow 3 air defense missile systems.
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In 2019, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) completed a successful flight test campaign with the Arrow-3 Interceptor missile. (Picture source U.S. DoD)
On October 13, 2022, Defense Ministers from 14 NATO members and Finland were in Brussels to sign a Letter of Intent for the development of a “European Sky Shield Initiative”. Spearheaded by Germany, the initiative aims to create a European air and missile defense system through the common acquisition of air defense equipment and missiles by European nations.
On February 5, 2023, the Army Recognition team reported that Germany planned to invest €17 billion to strengthen its air defense capabilities with a new multi-layered anti-missile shield including German IRIS-T, Israeli Arrow 3, and American PATRIOT air defense missile system.
Following the conflict in Ukraine, Germany wants to strengthen its air defense capabilities to deal with the Russian threat with weapon systems capable of countering tactical and ballistic missiles such as the S-400 or the Iskander-M.
The Arrow 3 is the latest development of the Arrow anti-ballistic missile jointly developed by Israel and the United States. For the purchase of the Arrow 3, Germany must receive the approval of the United States due to the joint development by Israel and the U.S.
The Arrow 3 system is an upgrade to the Arrow 2 system and is considered one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world. It is designed to intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere, primarily for defense against long-range missile threats.
The Arrow-3 missile can be launched by a TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) vehicle. The missile features two solid propulsion stages, including a booster and a sustainer. It has a maximum firing range of 2,400 km and can intercept aerial threats at an altitude of up to 100 km.
An Arrow 3 battery is expected to intercept salvos of more than five ballistic missiles within 30 seconds.
The Arrow 3 battery components include:
- Radar System: The system consists of X-Band radar and EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar which provides early warning and tracking of incoming missiles.
- Launchers: The missile launchers are used to fire the Arrow 3 missiles.
- Interceptors: The Arrow 3 missile is the interceptor used to destroy incoming ballistic missiles.
- BMC (Battle Management Center): The BMC is responsible for managing the entire missile defense system, including receiving and analyzing data from the radar system, launching the interceptor missile, and providing command and control functions.
- Communications System: The communication system is used to exchange information between the components of the Arrow 3 system and with external systems.
- Power Supply: The battery components include the power supply, which provides the necessary energy to operate the radar, launchers, and BMC.
