To dispel speculation that a visit by a ten-member delegation from the German parliament’s Defense Committee to Israel was hastily ordered for the state-of-the-art Arrow 3 missile defense system, Marie-Agnes Zimmermann’s president rushed to clarify tonight: for a long time and that “we did not come here with a bag full of money for shopping, but much more for exchanging views with representatives of the country, which every now and then from its existence experiences war situations”.
Neutralization of rockets in the stratosphere
Her statements are also confirmed by press releases. The visit was organized by the pro-Israeli lobby group Elnet. The Israeli anti-missile system was part of the visit anyway, but due to the discussions about the purchase of the Israeli weapons system “Arrow 3” its importance was upgraded. At an Israeli air base, German lawmakers were briefed on the operation of the system along with high-performance radar and interceptor missiles. It is considered one of the most modern and consists of three components: A mobile control system, a radar installation and missiles. Aim to destroy medium-range and long-range missiles at an altitude of 100 km outside the stratosphere and to react even in the event of a change in their orbit. The Israeli army has been using this system since 2017 with very satisfactory results. Manufactured by Aerospace Industries of Israel in collaboration with Boeing and with US co-financing.
The need for such a system for Germany arose after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had the effect of drastically changing the level of security in Europe. The Israeli model was forced to admit it on a Sunday speech. For Marie-Agnes Zimmermann, however, it was important to make it clear that this was an information visit and not a contract-based discussion. Regarding the cost and the question, how long it will take until “Arrow 3” is put into operation, the members of the committee did not give data. Serap Guiler, a member of the committee from the Christian Democratic Party, called for NATO to be included. “The main concern is to strengthen NATO’s eastern wing, with troops and possibly with such a system. I think Europe, like NATO, has realized that when you want to achieve something, you need to take joint action.”
“We lost a lot of time”
From the point of view of the chairman of the Commission Strak-Zimmermann the German armed forces have a gap in their deterrent ability to neutralize missiles at this height and he admitted it. “This is not a secret, we need to see how to balance this weakness in relation to the war in Ukraine.” What she also focused on is that any new defense system must be compatible with the existing one in Europe and NATO. Regarding the time of acquisition, it was clear: “We do not have time to lose, we have already lost a lot”. Technical details about the Israeli “Arrow 3” have not been given, and this leads to misunderstandings and confusion as to whether the choice is right for Germany and Europe. Because it is confused with the Iron Dome, but it is not the same. “The Arrow 3 was built to intercept Iranian missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometers,” said Andreas Floken, a security expert at Germany’s NDR network. “It will probably be able to neutralize the Russian Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad.” We remind you that Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave between Poland and Russia, bordering NATO countries and 700 km from Berlin.
If Germany opts for this missile defense system, the price is high. According to information from security circles, it costs around 2 billion euros. The biggest advantage is that it already exists on the market and would probably be operational by 2025. This option could work in such a way that the radar located in Germany would detect missile launches targeting allied countries and provide them with data required to break them down. However, experts in the field of defense emphasize that these countries must first acquire their own missile defense systems, only in this way can they proceed with the downing.
DW – Irini Anastassopoulou / DW, dpa, Tagesspiegel, NDR
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