Israel and the US have agreed to “cooperate” on the German request to buy the Arrow 3 missile defense system, The Jerusalem Post has revealed, citing German Air Force Chief Lt.-Gen. Ingo Gerhartza.
The reported development comes days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country was “discussing” the purchase of the long-range system, jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Boeing.
The push to buy the system began days before Scholz’s revelations when German legislators made a case for the system, calling it a “good” option to “protect ourselves against the Russian threat.”
Details of Purchase Yet to Be Discussed
German Air Force Chief Gerhartza confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that Israel and the US had given their “approval that we can cooperate on it” but underlined that the details of the purchase still needed to be discussed.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Russia has deployed Iskander missiles at certain locations bringing German cities like Berlin within their striking range. These short-range mobile ballistic missiles have a reported range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles).
“The Iron Dome is used for short-range threats, and we have quite a capable industry back home, and we will procure systems for that,” Gerhartza told the publication.
“And for higher interceptors, we have the Patriot weapons system that we will modernize. [But] if it means [threats at a range of] 15,000 km (9,320 miles) and then it is exo-atmospheric, we don’t have anything, and that is why I had a close look at the Arrow 3 and we are really interested in the system.”
System Could Be Deployed in 2025
The Arrow 3 system has a reported range of up to 2,400 kilometers (1,490 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles at an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles).
German daily publication Bild reported that the system would cost at least two billion euros ($2.2 billion) and could be deployed around 2025.
It added that the system’s radar would be set up in three German locations, transmitting data to the NATO Air Force Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, Germany.