By Carsten Hoffmann, dpa
BERLIN – The chief of the German Air Force has travelled to Israel to procure the first part of the Arrow 3 air-defence system, as Germany seeks to boost its air defences in light of Europe’s altered security landscape.
Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz visited Arrow 3 manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in Tel Aviv to receive the central communication element of the weapons system, a spokesman for the air force said.
The German Air Force is aiming for the modern hypersonic, anti-ballistic missile system to achieve initial operational readiness by the end of this year, as the country is looking to close a defence gap.
Arrow 3 is able to shoot down missiles at an altitude of more than 100 kilometres – meaning it can destroy projectiles outside of the atmosphere, a capability Germany’s current defence umbrella doesn’t have.
“With Arrow 3, Germany is procuring an Israeli weapons system on my initiative that will help to protect Germany against threats from the air,” Gerhartz told dpa.
The first of three locations for the firing units is set to be Holzdorf military airbase in eastern Germany, some 75 kilometres south of the German capital, where construction work is under way.
Germany is seeking to invest heavily in its air defence in light of Russia having significantly ramped up its defence industry amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sparking fears that Moscow might launch an attack on European NATO territory in the coming years.
To this end, Germany has also launched an initiative for a common European air defence system – the European Sky Shield Initiative.
Gerhartz, who has served as the chief of the air force for seven years, is set to hand over command in the coming weeks and take the the helm at the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, a NATO operational command headquartered at Brunssum in the Netherlands.
Gerhartz, who maintains close professional contacts in the Middle East, described his visit to Israel as a “full-circle” moment.
“My first trip abroad as inspector of the air force was a visit to Israel in 2018 shortly after I took over and now, after seven years, I am coming back here for my last trip,” he said.