HOLZDORF, Germany, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Germany on Wednesday became the first European nation to deploy the Arrow air defence system, built to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles such as Russia’s Oreshnik, as it seeks to counter what it sees as a growing threat from Moscow.
The system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defence Agency, is used as the upper layer of Israel’s missile defences, together with the Iron Dome, which takes out short-range threats.
“Who could have imagined that only 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Jewish state, through the technologies it develops, would help defend not only Germany but all of Europe,” Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor said.
A number of countries have expressed interest in purchasing the technology since Arrow helped to thwart Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in April and October 2024, according to IAI.
Operating at altitudes above 100 kilometres (62 miles), outside the earth’s atmosphere, and with a range of 2,400 kilometres, the stationary system complements shorter-range air defences such as Patriot and IRIS-T which are mounted on trucks.
Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized the system’s value for early warning and protection of the population and infrastructure.
“With this strategic capability, which is unique among our European partners, we are securing our key role in the heart of Europe,” he said in a statement. “Thus, we are not only protecting ourselves, but also our partners. We are thereby strengthening the European pillar of NATO and meeting a NATO target.”
A ceremony marking the deployment took place at an air base in Holzdorf, some 100 kilometres south of Berlin. Germany aims to have the system, which is designed to cover the entire country and will be deployed at three locations in the north, south and centre, fully operational by 2030.
Germany purchased the Arrow system in 2023 for a total cost of 3.6 billion euros ($4.18 billion) as it sees Russia’s intermediate-range missiles as the primary threat to its population and critical infrastructure.
Arrow can spot and intercept incoming missiles with a range beyond 1,000 kilometres, launched from land, air or sea, thus plugging a critical gap in the country’s territorial defence.
Russia’s shorter-range Iskander missiles deployed to the enclave of Kaliningrad, some 500 kilometres from Berlin, are seen as a threat mainly to be tackled by Patriot air defence units.
NATO’s eastern expansion has shifted front-line defence to countries such as Poland and the Baltics. However, Germany remains a key staging area in the event of a conflict.
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(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, additional reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Elaine Hardcastle)
