The German Bundeswehr honored two senior officials from the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) at the Israel Ministry of Defense with the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor, recognizing their outstanding contributions to German-Israeli defense cooperation and their leadership of the Arrow 3 to Germany project (AWS-G).
At the ceremony held in a German Air Force base, Moshe Patel, Director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), and Col. R., Head of the Upper Tier Division at the IMDO, received the award from the Commander of Ground-Based Units of the German Air Force, Brigadier General Arnt Kuebart. Moshe Patel was awarded the Cross of Honor in Gold, one of the Federal Republic of Germany's highest military decorations, presented in exceptional cases to civilians and soldiers of foreign armed forces for distinguished service to the Bundeswehr. Col. R. received the decoration in Silver.
The awards recognize the central roles both officials played in bringing the Arrow missile defense system to Germany to initial operational capability in Germany by December 2025, as part of Israel's largest defense export deal in history, valued at approximately $6.7 billion.
Established in 1980, the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor is awarded by the Federal Minister of Defense for particularly outstanding service or exceptional individual acts and, in rare cases, may be extended to civilians and foreign military personnel who have rendered distinguished service to the Bundeswehr. Col. Carsten Koepper, who joined General Kuebert at the ceremony, has led the Arrow for Germany project together with the IMDO team for more than 3 years and states that this ceremony emphasizes the deep partnership between the teams and nations.
The Arrow 3 system is jointly developed and produced by the IMOD’s DDR&D and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). IAI is the prime developer of the Arrow system through the company’s MLM Division, in partnership with STARK Aerospace in the United States. IAI’s ELTA Division and TMM Division, Elbit Systems, Tomer, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems all participate in the system’s production.