Germany has announced that it will construct an Arrow 3 deployment site in the “Kaufbeuren” region of Bavaria to strengthen its defense architecture against ballistic missiles…
The facility will be operationalized under the Arrow Weapon System Program, which was initiated to establish an interception capability against long-range ballistic missiles.
An additional Arrow 3 battery will be deployed at the new site, and the facility will include missile launcher positions, a fire control radar, and technical maintenance and logistics support infrastructure.
While the initial $3.5 billion contract signed under the Arrow 3 procurement program covered the acquisition of three systems, with the additional funding provided, Germany will procure extra launcher systems and interceptor missiles, significantly increasing its ammunition stockpiles.
The Arrow 3 constitutes the top layer of the German Army’s layered air and missile defense architecture. Below this, Patriot air defense systems and the IRIS-T SLM systems, which are currently in development, will be employed.
The Arrow 3 system was developed by Israel and the United States to counter medium-range and medium-to-long-range ballistic missiles.
Arrow 3 performs interceptions outside the atmosphere using the “hit-to-kill” principle, meaning it destroys the target through direct kinetic impact.
Thanks to this architecture, threats can be neutralized in the exoatmospheric phase, allowing for engagement much earlier than with lower-tier air defense systems.
The Arrow 3 is an exoatmospheric ballistic missile defense system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles with ranges of approximately 2,400 km at altitudes above 100 km, reaching speeds of approximately Mach 9 (around 11,000 km/h)…