Germany boosts defense with €4B acquisition of Israeli Arrow-3 air defense missile systems.

In a recent news release on June 9, 2023, Reuters, the International Press Agency, reported that Germany has indicated its intention to purchase the Arrow-3 air defense missile system from Israel. The investment is estimated at a staggering 4 billion euros ($4.30 billion).
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The Arrow 3 or Hetz 3 is an exoatmospheric hypersonic anti-ballistic missile, jointly funded, developed, and produced by Israel and the United States. (Picture source Wikimedia)

Previously, in March 2023, the Army Recognition's editorial team confirmed the United States' green signal for the sale of the Israeli Arrow 3 anti-ballistic air defense missile system to Germany. This move is part of Germany's strategy to enhance its air defense capabilities with an outlay of €17 billion towards a new multi-layered anti-missile shield. This system will incorporate the German IRIS-T, Israeli Arrow 3, and American PATRIOT air defense missile systems. The German government is currently in negotiations with Diehl Defence to acquire eight IRIS-T anti-missile systems.

The German Ministry of Defense has initiated the LVS NNbS program to overcome existing capability limitations in protecting ground troops and ensuring the safety of tactical operation centers, along with other assets, from short- and very short-range aerial threats.

The German government plans to substitute the Patriot air defense system with the LVS project by 2031 for medium and long ranges and increase its capabilities. At present, the German army operates twelve ground-based Patriot air defense missile systems. Alongside this, the LVS NNbS is slated to replace and enhance the capabilities of the existing Mantis weapon system and the Ozelot light air defense system. The current German armed forces inventory comprises two Mantis systems and two Ozelot platoons.

The Arrow-3 or Hetz 3 is an advanced air defense missile system that has been developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing. It's a central part of Israel's multi-layered anti-ballistic missile defense architecture. The development of the Arrow-3 began in 2008, and it was declared operational in January 2017

The Arrow-3 is specifically designed to intercept and destroy long-range ballistic missiles while they're still in the exo-atmosphere, meaning it has the ability to engage targets at an extremely high altitude, preventing debris and any potential warheads from reaching the ground. This is accomplished using a "hit-to-kill" approach, where the missile directly strikes the target to achieve its mission, as opposed to exploding near it.

The system has a sophisticated radar that assists in detecting incoming missile threats. Upon detection, an Arrow-3 interceptor missile is launched to intercept the threat in space. The Arrow-3's kill vehicle is guided by an onboard targeting system, allowing it to make small adjustments to its course and strike its target.

The Arrow 3 system is designed specifically to intercept ballistic missiles, including those carrying nuclear, biological, or chemical warheads. Its interceptor missiles can engage threats at extremely high altitudes, in the exo-atmosphere, which could potentially extend into the low earth orbit. The exact altitude specification is classified, but it is known to be capable of engaging targets over 100 kilometers above the earth's surface.

As for the engagement range, the Arrow 3 is believed to have a maximum operational range of up to 2,400 kilometers. However, it's important to note that the exact specifics can vary and are often not publicly disclosed due to the sensitive nature of defense information.

The Arrow 3 system is linked with an advanced radar network, specifically, the EL/M-2080 "Green Pine" radar systems, which can reportedly detect incoming targets up to 800-900 kilometers away. This gives the Arrow 3 system a substantial amount of time to detect, track, and plan the interception of incoming missiles.