Arrow 3 strengthens German air defence
Germany is expanding its air defence with a new missile defence system.
Berlin/Holzdorf (dpa) – With parts of the new Arrow 3 missile defence system due to be put into operation this Wednesday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius sees Germany’s and its partners’ air defence significantly strengthened. “For the first time, we’re now able to issue early warnings and protect our population and infrastructure against long-range ballistic missiles,” Pistorius said in Berlin.
Arrow 3 was jointly developed by Israel and the United States. The system is capable of destroying hostile projectiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, at the edge of space, by means of a direct hit. It forms the top layer of a multi-tiered defence structure. “In this way we’re strengthening the European pillar of NATO and fulfilling a NATO capability target,” Pistorius said.
The deployment of the Arrow 3 system, procured from Israel, is a response to the threat posed by Russia. The commissioning at the Schönewalde/Holzdorf air base in Brandenburg marks the first of three planned Arrow sites in Germany.
