Germany signs 'historic' deal to acquire Israeli-made Arrow 3 system
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Worth around $3.5 billion, the sale is the biggest ever deal for "Israel's" military industry.
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Israeli occupation soldiers walk near an Iron Dome system (L), a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the MIM-104 Patriot (C), and an anti-ballistic missile the Arrow 3 (R) during Juniper Cobra's joint exercise press briefing at "Hatzor" Air Base, on February 25, 2016 (AFP)
Germany on Thursday signed a deal to acquire the Israeli-made Arrow 3 hypersonic missile system.
The signing of the deal was a "historic day" for both sides, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a press conference alongside Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
Worth around $3.5 billion (3.3 billion euros), the sale is the biggest ever deal for "Israel's" military industry.
The Arrow 3 system would make "German air defense ready for the future," Pistorius said.
"We would like to incorporate Arrow into the comprehensive defensive shield of NATO, so that our neighbors can benefit from it," he indicated.
The long-range Arrow 3 system, designed to shoot down missiles above the Earth's atmosphere, offers protective cover for neighboring European Union states.
The system was developed and produced by "Israel" and the United States, and the sale had to be approved by Washington before it could be finalized.
Arrow 3 is a "mobile system" that can be deployed depending on the threats faced, according to manufacturer "Israel" Aerospace Industries.
The money for the deal comes from a landmark 100-billion-euro fund unveiled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to bolster the country's security in the wake of the Ukraine war.
More than a dozen European countries have so far signed up to Germany's common air defense project, the European Sky Shield Initiative.
The Sky Shield project would involve joint procurement for short-, medium- and long-range systems, including the German-made Iris-T, the American Patriot system, and Arrow 3.
Some of Germany's neighbors have, however, so far declined to sign up to the pact, including France and Poland. Officials in Paris have argued instead for an air defense system using European equipment.
Berlin has said it expects the Arrow 3 system to be delivered in the final quarter of 2025.
Gallant stated that while there are other possible European partners interested in purchasing the system, no significant discussions are currently underway.
"Right now, we would only sell this system to Germany and the United States, because we are speaking about a strategic system. It would be delivered only to countries meeting certain standards, with respect to Israeli interests," the Israeli occupation minister explained.
Read more: Azerbaijan Considers Buying Arrow 3 Missile System from "Israel"
