Germany has opened a new phase in its Arrow 3 deployment and has designated a region in the south of the country for the missile defense system’s next operational site as Berlin accelerates its nationwide ballistic‑missile defense network.
The Bundeswehr announced on June 30 that the second Arrow air defense battery site would be in the greater Kaufbeuren area of Bavaria and will house the ELM-2080 Green Pine Block C radar to detect and track threats.
The second location would complement the initial battery located at Fliegerhorst Holzdorf/Schönewalde, south of the capital of Berlin. That battery was the first time the system had been deployed outside of Israel.
Local media have said that additional sites include more batteries in Schleswig-Holstein in the north, which would be home to the interceptor launchers themselves.
Arrow 3, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is a highly maneuverable system designed to provide ultimate air defense by intercepting ballistic missiles when they are still outside the Earth’s atmosphere and is considered one of the world's best interceptors due to its breakthrough technological capabilities.
The decision is 'a matter of great strategic importance'
The announcement was made at Kaufbeuren Air Base where Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder formally transferred land to the federal government in the presence of Luftwaffe chief Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann, and Alexander Götz, head of force development at the Defense Ministry.
Neumann was quoted by the Bundeswehr as saying that the decision is “a matter of great strategic importance,” and that the southern sensor is “essential” for nationwide coverage and operational resilience.
Germany signed the $3.5 billion Arrow 3 contract in November 2023, the largest defense deal in Israel’s history at the time.
In December, the two countries signed a $3.1 billion follow-up contract to expand interceptor and launcher stocks.
German officials have repeatedly framed Arrow 3 as a response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and the growing proliferation of advanced missile systems.
“With the Southern Sensor in Bavaria, the German Armed Forces are creating an indispensable component of their new capability,” the Bundeswehr said on Tuesday. “The now-established deployment ensures optimal coverage of the entire territory of the Federal Republic. It provides high effectiveness and the necessary resilience to protect against failures, malfunctions, or sabotage.”
AWS-G will give Germany, for the first time, the ability to detect and intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Breakthrough technology
The Arrow 3 development program is one of the joint programs between Israel and the United States and was co-managed by the US Missile Defense Agency and IMDO, a division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The system uses the Green Pine Block C radar by Elta, a subsidiary of IAI, to detect and track threats.
The Arrow 3, one of Israel’s most advanced air defense systems, is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at altitudes of over 100 km. and with a reported range of up to 2,400 km.
Germany declared initial operational capability of the first battery in December 2025 and has since accelerated construction and training of the system.
The system will be operated by the German Air Force around the clock and is intended to protect the population, critical infrastructure, and allied forces.
Berlin has said Arrow 3 will complement, not replace, its Patriot batteries and the planned European Sky Shield Initiative.
Germany will be the first country outside Israel to operate Arrow 3, something Israeli officials have repeatedly highlighted as a sign of strong strategic cooperation between Jerusalem, Washington, and Berlin.
The system forms the top tier of Israel’s multilayered defense architecture, alongside David’s Sling and Iron Dome, and has been credited with significantly expanding Israel’s ability to intercept long-range threats.
The system was instrumental over the past three and a half years and intercepted hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles fired during Operation Rising Lion and Operation Roaring Lion.