Germany is negotiating purchase of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system

Germany is negotiating to buy the Arrow 3 missile defense system from Israel as part of Berlin’s efforts to strengthen its armed forces against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. This was announced by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Reuters reports.

Germany has increased its military spending since the war began and has also provided aid and heavy weapons to Kiev as part of an international response.

Israel will play a role in building a new German defense force, mainly in air defense, Lapid told reporters, speaking with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

This is linked to our full commitment to German security, the security of Europe, the ability of liberal democracies to defend themselves, he added.

Lapid described the talks as leading to a possible deal in the future, but declined to name the cost. Scholz said Germany would bolster its defense by buying more air defense systems in the future and called the Arrow 3 system a highly effective offer, but also declined to go into detail.

Arrow 3 missile defense systems are designed to fly beyond Earth’s atmosphere, where their warheads separate to become kamikaze satellites or killing machines that track and smash into targets.  They are designed to safely destroy approaching nuclear, biological or chemical missiles.