Germany to procure Arrow, IRIS-T air-defence systems

The Bundestag’s budget committee on 14 June approved the procurement of the Arrow Weapon System and Arrow 3 missiles for the Bundeswehr. (IAI)

The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, on 14 June approved the procurement of six IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air defence (GBAD) systems and the Arrow Weapon System (AWS), including missiles.

Germany plans to sign a letter of commitment with the Israeli government by the end of 2023 on the procurement of the AWS and Arrow 3 missiles, with a planned initial operational capability by the fourth quarter of 2025, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on its website on 15 June. This will require the Israeli government to make advance payments and commission the building of production capacity “in a timely manner”, speeding up the procurement process by six months, according to the German MoD.