The German parliament will soon be approving a deal to buy Israel Aircraft Industries Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system for nearly 4 billion Euro (approximately $4.3 billion USD). The parliament is expected to vote next week on the deal, paying 560 million Euro as an advance, according to a report in YNet.
The Germans chose the Israeli system over the US’s THAAD platform produced by Lockheed-Martin. They hope to have the Israeli anti-missile system in place by the end of 2025.
The Arrow system knows how to track and intercept more than one rocket at a time, and to hit the target ICBM’s when they are above the atmosphere in their trajectory. That is especially important if the weapons are carry nuclear or other extra-dangerous payloads.
The deal also reportedly includes the Iron Dome and Magic Wand defense systems.
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about the system with the Germans during his visit there last month. The sale price is a billion Euro higher than previously expected.
