Just 80 years after the Holocaust, Israel’s defense minister welcomes cooperation with Germany to build a safer future.
Germany has signed a contract to acquire the Israeli-made Arrow 3 hypersonic missile system, which will become an important part of Europe’s defense against air attacks.
The signing of the agreement on Thursday in Berlin was a “historic day” for both countries, said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at a press conference along with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant.
The sale is worth about $3.5 billion (3.3 billion euros) and is the largest deal ever for Israel’s military industry.
The Arrow-3 system will “make German air defense fit for the future,” said Pistorius.
After Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine last year, Germany has led an initiative to strengthen NATO’s air defenses in Europe and urged allies to jointly purchase deterrent systems.
“We can see from the daily Russian attacks on Ukraine how important air defense is,” Pistorius said.
An Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptor is seen during its test launch near Ashdod [File: Amir Cohen/Reuters]Looking back on the events of the Holocaust, the signing of the agreement was a “moving event for every Jew,” Gallant said.
“Only 80 years after the end of World War II, Israel and Germany are joining together today to build a more secure future,” he said.
The long-range Arrow 3 system, designed to launch rockets above Earth’s atmosphere, is powerful enough to provide protection to neighboring EU countries.
The system was designed and manufactured by Israel and the United States and the sale had to be approved by Washington before it could be completed.
The system was first deployed at an Israeli air base in 2017 and was used to protect Israel from attacks from Iran and Syria.
According to the manufacturer, Israel Aerospace Industries, Arrow 3 is a “mobile system” that can be used depending on the threat.
A groundbreaking fund
Money for the deal comes from a groundbreaking 100 billion euro ($105 billion) fund launched by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to bolster the country’s defenses after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
So far, more than a dozen European countries have joined the joint German air defense project, the European Sky Shield Initiative.
The Sky Shield project would involve joint procurement of short-, medium- and long-range systems, including the German-made IRIS-T, the American Patriot system and Arrow 3.
However, some of Germany’s neighbors have so far refused to join the pact, including France and Poland.
Officials in Paris advocated instead for an air defense system with European equipment.
Berlin has announced that it expects delivery of the Arrow 3 system in the last quarter of 2025.