Germany confirmed a second Arrow 3 missile defence site in Bavaria near Kaufbeuren to complement its first operational Arrow 3 battery at Holzdorf/Schönewalde.
Deployment and Sites
- Second site (Kaufbeuren): radar and sensor components sited near Kaufbeuren; interceptor launchers planned at Lechfeld Air Base.
- First operational battery: Holzdorf/Schönewalde (Brandenburg/Saxony-Anhalt border), delivered end-2025.
- Timeline: structural completion of Kaufbeuren facility planned in 2028; phased activation thereafter.
Technical characteristics
- System: Arrow 3, developed by Israeli and US industry partners.
- Kill mechanism: hit-to-kill kinetic interceptor that destroys targets by direct impact.
- Engagement envelope: exo-atmospheric interceptions above ~100 km (Kármán line) with reported range up to 2,400 km.
Strategic and programme facts
- Operator status: Germany is the first country outside Israel to operate Arrow 3.
- Programme cost: overall German Arrow 3 programme exceeds USD 6.5 billion after ~USD 3 billion approved in Dec 2025.
- European role: deployment contributes to the European Sky Shield Initiative for continental missile defence cooperation.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Exo‑atmospheric interception: reduces risk of large debris falling on defended territory compared with endo‑atmospheric intercepts.
- Layered defence: Arrow 3 is intended for high‑altitude, strategic intercepts within a multi‑layer missile defence architecture.
- Sensor‑launcher separation: dispersal of sensors and launchers increases detection range and engagement geometry.