After signing a historic deal with Israel in 2023 to purchase the Arrow-3, the world’s fourth-biggest defense spender is looking to purchase the Arrow-4, a next-generation air defense system currently under development.
According to SIPRI, Germany has emerged as the fourth biggest military spender after the United States, China, and Russia, and has surpassed India.
Lieutenant General Lutz Kohlhaus, the Vice Chief of Luftwaffe (the German Air Force), said on May 7 that the service wants to procure the Arrow-4 air defense system. The remarks were made during his opening speech at the Ground-Based Air Defense Summit in Berlin, as reported by Hartpunkt, a major German publication.
This appears to be a mere proposal right now, given that the German Ministry of Defense has not publicly acknowledged the Luftwaffe’s recommendation, and no official procurement timeline, budget, or contract details have been confirmed yet. However, the Luftwaffe Vice Chief said the decision to acquire the system has been communicated to Israel and the German Defense Ministry.
The Vice Chief said that the Luftwaffe will be able to cover the entire altitude spectrum of air defense in the future with the Arrow-4 and Arrow-3. Notably, the statement came shortly after the Inspector General of the Air Force received the first shipment of key equipment, including the communication element of the Arrow 3 system.
The German officials have repeatedly underlined the urgency of operationalising the Arrow-3 amid rising security threats in Europe. The Arrow-3 will be deployed at three locations across the country, with the first deployment planned for the military airfield at Holzdorf in eastern Germany, just south of Berlin. Construction is already underway at this site.
The alacrity in acquiring the Arrow-4 is noteworthy because the recent failure of the Israeli Arrow-3 in destroying a Houthi ballistic missile that struck the Ben Gurion Airport led to speculations that Germany may be alarmed and ask for assurances from the manufacturers of the anti-ballistic missile defense system that it has acquired for US$3.5 billion. However, the recent statement suggests that Berlin remains unfazed by the ‘rare’ miss and deeply committed to Israeli Arrow systems.
The plans to acquire the Arrow-4 align with Germany’s ongoing efforts to bolster air and missile defense, triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Germany’s role as a NATO logistical hub. The country is currently working on the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), which aims to create a multi-layered air defense network for itself and another European partner.
The German military has already procured the Patriot medium-range missile defense system, the IRIS-T short-range air defense system, and the Arrow-3. The next-generation Arrow-4 will add another layer to this network and fill a specific capability gap, potentially in endo-atmospheric interception, which is believed to be challenging due to atmospheric drag, heat, and missile maneuverability.
The German Air Force Vice Chief also noted that the Air Force will continue to buy the Patriot system and procure the F-35 fighter jet, adding that more European-based capability would be considered.
He stated that NATO countries operating American-origin equipment cannot conduct joint air warfare without Link 16, IFF Mode 5, or the standardized data flow, the standards for which would only be set by the US. Thus, diversification of military acquisition is required.
In addition to the Arrow-3 and Arrow-4, the Air Force is calling for the rapid procurement of six more IRIS-T-SLM systems to supplement the six previously ordered. It had also previously ordered eight 16 Patriot missile defense systems and three Arrow-3 systems. Kohlhaus noted that the country would have a total of 29 air defense systems (12 Patriot squadrons, 12 IRIS-T SLM/SLS, 1 Arrow 3 operational, 2 more by 2030).
What Is The Arrow-4?
Arrow 4 is an advanced missile defense system under development to counter ballistic and hypersonic threats. Unlike other systems in the German arsenal, Arrow-4 will have endo-exoatmospheric capabilities, which essentially means that it could intercept and destroy a target within and outside Earth’s atmosphere.
It is pertinent to note that Arrow 4’s primary focus will likely be endo-atmospheric interception, with low-exo-atmospheric capability as a secondary feature.
This is in stark contrast to the Arrow 3 system, which is known for its ability to destroy space-borne projectiles, including ballistic missiles and their warheads, during their mid-course phase, before they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
Thus, the Arrow-4 would add another protective layer to Germany’s multi-layered air defense network. Germany’s acquisition of three Arrow 3 systems provides exo-atmospheric defense, while Arrow 4’s proposed acquisition would enhance terminal-phase coverage, complementing Patriot PAC-3 and IRIS-T SLM.
The Arrow 4 missile is being jointly developed by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the US Missile Defense Agency. Israel started conceptual work on Arrow-4 in 2017, but formal development was announced in February 2021 amid the burgeoning threat posed by Iran’s long-range missiles.
The Arrow-4 interceptor would be employed against evolving threats, including advanced ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and potentially nuclear-capable delivery systems.
One of the most significant features of the Arrow-4 interceptor is its ability to counter sophisticated threats, such as hypersonic missiles, which are very difficult to intercept due to their extremely high speed (five or more times the speed of sound) and unpredictable trajectory.
Since Germany’s missile defense aims to defeat potential threats from Russia, Arrow-4 would be a much-desired system, given that Moscow has various hypersonic missiles in its inventory.
Moreover, the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) and NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) emphasize hypersonic defense, making Arrow 4 strategically relevant.
With better propulsion systems, advanced seekers, and increased mobility than its predecessors, Arrow 4 is expected to have “unprecedented flight and interception capabilities.”
Though there is a paucity of information at this point, it is believed that Arrow 3 and Arrow 4 will be designed to destroy targets using kinetic energy or direct collision (hit-to-kill) instead of exploding near the hostile targets.
Additionally, an advantage of the Arrow 4 swivel missile is that it can be used with existing Arrow radars and firing devices, making it a cost-effective solution.
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