Can Germany’s Newly Delivered Israeli Arrow 3 Missile Defence System Stop Russian Strikes?
North America, Western Europe and Oceania , Missile and Space
The German Air Force has received its first Arrow 3 missile defence systems from Israel, making it the first foreign country to deploy the anti-ballistic system. Jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing, the Arrow 3 was designed to intermediate range ballistic missiles in space, and has been extensively combat tested against three separate rounds of Iranian missile attacks. The €3.6 billion ($3.9 billion) deal to procure the systems was signed in 2023, as Germany surged arms procurements following the outbreak of full scale war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022. Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Boaz Levy stated that Germany “has expressed interest not only in Arrow 3 but also in the upcoming Arrow 4 air defence system,” adding that he expected “more deals and closer cooperation in the future.”
While Germany’s military buildup is aimed primarily at Russia, the viability of the Arrow 3 to intercept Russian intermediate range missile attacks is thought to be limited. Russia initiated the production of its first post-Soviet intermediate range ballistic missile type, the Oreshnik, in the summer of 2025. The missile is estimated to have a 4000 kilometre range, and carries multiple independently re-targetable warheads with hypersonic reentry vehicles. The use of hypersonic glide vehicles, which can manoeuvre and approach targets from unexpected directions, seriously limits the ability of traditional air defence systems like the Arrow 3 to intercept them. Israeli officials have themselves attested to the inadequacy of the country’s current air defences to intercept hypersonic missile attacks, stressing the need for an entirely new approach based around a ‘zone defence’ to respond to this challenge. These limitations have raised questions among analysts regarding the usefulness of the air defence system.
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