The Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir on Thursday signed the agreement for Germany's acquisition of the Arrow 3 missile defense system, valued at approximately $3.6 billion. This milestone, marked by the final signing conducted by German and Israeli officials, concludes the acquisition process that commenced with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's visit to Germany in September 2023.
The signing event held at the Israel Ministry of Defense Headquarters was attended by senior officials, including German Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Steffen Seibert; German military attaché, Captain (N) Volker Gelhausen; CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Mr. Boaz Levy; Director of the IMOD Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D), Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Daniel Gold; Head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization in the DDR&D, Mr. Moshe Patel; Head of the IMOD Finance Department, CPA Dekel Cohen, and other senior officials.
The Arrow 3 missile defense system was designed to intercept exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles. The Arrow 3 system recently carried out its first operational interception during the Swords of Iron War, successfully destroying a target launched towards Israel in the Red Sea region.
Following the signing, billions of NIS will be allocated to facilitate the initiation of production at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and associated defense industries. According to the agreement, the first Arrow 3 battery will be delivered to the German Ministry of Defense by the end of 2025. Alongside the main effort to support the IDF's strength and force build-up processes, the Israel Ministry of Defense and DDR&D remain committed to bolstering strategic cooperation with partners around the world.
The Arrow 3 system is co-developed and co-produced by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in the Israel Ministry of Defense and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is the primary contractor for the weapon system's development and production, the "Arrow" interceptors, and the radar detection system. Elbit Systems is responsible for the development of the Command and Control system. Tomer and Rafael Advanced Systems are the main subcontractors for the development and production of the "Arrow 3" interceptor.