Germany will officially unveil and activate the Israeli-made Arrow-3 exoatmospheric missile-defense system this week—its first-ever operational deployment outside Israel.
Berlin’s decision places one of the world’s most advanced anti-ballistic shields at the heart of Europe’s Sky Shield Initiative, a direct response to growing missile threats emanating from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The $3.5 billion system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing and cleared by the US in 2023, is capable of intercepting long-range ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes exceeding 100 km.
Germany’s deployment comes after Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 proved their unmatched battlefield performance during the Iran-Israel conflict of 2024–2025. The systems intercepted dozens of Iranian ballistic missiles during the massive attacks on April 14 and October 1, and halted hundreds more launched by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen—achieving success rates approaching 90%.