NUREMBERG, Germany — Germany’s first long-range missile shield will enter service in an initial configuration on Wednesday, based roughly 40 miles south of the capital, Berlin, German media reported today.
The declaration of initial operational capability is expected to draw top defense officials to the interceptor host airbase of Fliegerhorst Holzdorf/Schönewalde, which straddles the states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, on Dec. 3, newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on its website.
A German Air Force spokesperson declined to confirm the pending deployment when asked by Defense News, citing a policy of not commenting on future events.
The government in 2023 decided to buy a total of three batteries of the Israeli-American Arrow 3 system as one of the most significant defense procurements following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Berlin’s subsequent rearmament. Every battery contains four launchers, which are each in turn loaded with six fire-ready missiles.
The total contract is worth around $4 billion.
The first battery will be deployed in line with the accelerated schedule outlined at the time of procurement, executives at manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries have said.
In its envisioned final setup, the missile shield will consist of additional batteries in the very north of the country, in Schleswig-Holstein, and one in Bavaria, covering the south of Germany, by the end of the decade, the news service RND reported shortly after the 2023 deal.
This week’s envisioned activation marks the first deployment of Arrow 3 outside of Israel. It also allows Germany to further stake its claim as the champion for Western Europe’s air defense, after launching the European Sky Shield Initiative − a joint procurement and interoperability push for air defenses − in 2022. ESSI now counts 24 member states stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Middle East.
Arrow 3’s interceptor missiles reportedly have a flight range of 2,400 kilometers and an operating ceiling of 100 km. They intercept incoming ballistic missiles during their travel time through space, a capability proven effective on several occasions in the Middle East.
For example, an Israeli Arrow 3 intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen on Nov. 9, 2023, marking the first wartime use of the system. It has also shot down Iranian ballistic missiles, according Israeli officials.
Its predecessor, Arrow 2, was used in the first exoatmospheric combat engagement in history.
Linus Höller is Defense News’ Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds a master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.
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