Germany expands Arrow 3 deployment with second missile defense site
Bavaria will host a new Arrow 3 installation as Berlin accelerates deployment of Israel's flagship ballistic missile defense system following more than $6.5 billion in purchases.
Germany is expanding its deployment of the Israeli-developed Arrow 3 missile defense system, announcing plans for a second operational site in Bavaria as Berlin continues building a nationwide shield against long-range ballistic missile threats.
The new deployment marks the latest phase of Germany's adoption of Arrow 3, developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and follows more than $6.5 billion in procurement commitments that have made Germany the system's largest foreign customer.
The Bavarian installation will complement Germany's first Arrow 3 battery, which became operational near Berlin last year in the first-ever deployment of the system outside Israel. German officials had previously indicated that additional sites would eventually be established as part of a broader national architecture.
According to the German Defense Ministry, the new southern operational site will be built in the greater Kaufbeuren area. The location will host elements of the Arrow system for Germany, with radar infrastructure based in Kaufbeuren and interceptor launchers planned for nearby Lechfeld Air Base.
German officials said the system is intended to provide early warning and protection for civilians, critical infrastructure and military assets while strengthening the country's role as a logistics hub for NATO forces operating along the alliance's eastern flank. The Arrow 3 interceptor is designed to destroy ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere through direct kinetic impact.
The expansion follows Germany's decision to approve a second procurement package for Arrow 3 interceptors manufactured by IAI worth $3.1 billion. That purchase came roughly two years after Berlin signed its initial $3.5 billion agreement for the system, the largest defense export deal in the history of Israel's defense industry and the first international sale of Arrow.
The German orders have also had a direct impact on production in Israel.
Over the past year, IAI has tripled Arrow 3 manufacturing capacity, driven in part by Germany's multibillion-dollar purchases. According to Israeli defense officials, advance payments from the German contracts helped finance expanded production despite budget constraints imposed by Israel's Finance Ministry, with the latest procurement expected to increase manufacturing rates further in the coming months.
Arrow 3 is a central component of Israel's air defense network. The system served as a key layer of missile defense during Operation Roaring Lion in March, as well as Rising Lion last June, when Tehran launched ballistic missiles toward Israel.
