European Defence News and Discussions

[Viet]

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[dani191]

Israel delivers Arrow 3 to Germany, in largest defense export deal ever​

Completing $4.6 billion deal, missile defense system being operated by another country for 1st time; ministry chief: ‘We Israelis, descendants of Holocaust survivors, want to see Germany strong’​

By Emanuel Fabian
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The flags of Israel and Germany fly in front of the Arrow 3 missile defense system and a radar dome during an event of the German Air Force at the Holzdorf Air Base, eastern Germany, on December 3, 2025. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
Israel on Wednesday handed over its Arrow 3 long-range missile defense system to the German Air Force in a ceremony at an airbase south of Berlin, completing a 4 billion euro ($4.6 billion) sale, the largest defense export deal in Israel’s history.

The completion of the sale, which was formally signed in September 2023, marked the first time the Arrow 3 system has been deployed beyond the borders of Israel and the United States, and the first time the advanced system was operated independently by another country.

The system was deployed at the Holzdorf Air Base in eastern Germany, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Berlin, with additional sites to follow.

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From the Israeli side, the ceremony was attended by Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram; the chief of the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development, Danny Gold; Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Boaz Levy; the director of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, Moshe Patel; and other top officials.

German media reported that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Chancellor Friedrich Merz would not be attending the ceremony, but other German military and defense officials were present.

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“As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, I stand here deeply moved because a ballistic missile defense system, developed by the finest Jewish minds in Israel’s aerospace industry, out of our existential necessity, will now help defend Germany,” Baram said at the ceremony, according to remarks provided by the Defense Ministry.

Defense Ministry director Amir Baram speaks at a ceremony marking the handover of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system to the German Air Force at the Holzdorf Air Base, eastern Germany, on December 3, 2025. (Defense Ministry)
“We Israelis, descendants of Holocaust survivors, want to see Germany strong and prosperous, proud and leading in Europe and throughout the world. We deeply appreciate that Israeli systems are part of Germany’s renewed force build-up. Today’s handover marks only the beginning for Israel and Germany. Our cooperation will strengthen and deepen — whether in the air, on land, or in space,” he continued.

Baram said he commended Germany’s decision to lift an arms embargo on Israel. “Such an embargo should never have been imposed against Germany’s ally that is fighting murderous Islamist terrorism, whether it comes from Iran’s theocratic regime or from Hamas in Gaza. When Israel acts against nuclear threats, ballistic missiles, and terrorism, we are not only defending ourselves, we are protecting the entire Western world. We are doing the hard work, sometimes the ‘dirty work,’ that the entire world should be doing,” he added.

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Also speaking at the ceremony, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, noted that this year marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

“Our partnership is strategic, and Germany is Israel’s most important ally in Europe. Today, we mark another milestone in this relationship. Who could have imagined that only 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Jewish state, through the technologies it develops, would help defend not only Germany but all of Europe. My family, who fled Germany on the eve of the Holocaust, could never have foreseen this,” Prosor said.

Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system is handed over to the German Air Force at the Holzdorf Air Base, eastern Germany, on December 3, 2025. (Defense Ministry)
The Arrow 3 is designed to take out ballistic missiles while they are still outside of the atmosphere.

The system has downed hundreds of ballistic missiles launched at Israel by Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi terror group in Yemen, with an interception rate of 86 percent during the 12-day conflict with the Islamic Republic in June.

The sale represented part of the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative to beef up continental Europe’s air defenses in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ahead of the ceremony, Pistorius told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, “For the first time, this gives us the capability for early warning and protection of our population and infrastructure against long-range ballistic missiles.”

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“With this strategic capability, which is unique among our European partners, we secure our central role at the heart of Europe,” he added to the German news agency.

Israel and Germany say that the agreement represents close and growing defense cooperation, which has included joint defense drills and the sale of the Israeli TROPHY active protection system for Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks. The first such tanks were rolled out last month to the German Army and the Norwegian Armed Forces.

 

[Liquidator]

Arrow in action

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[Liquidator]

More arrow in action, or should we say inaction?

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[hussain0216]

Germany has been cucked since after WW2

This is a way for them to try and keep Israel afloat

 

[Liquidator]

Germany has been cucked since after WW2

This is a way for them to try and keep Israel afloat

Yes they are paying for the blood of 6 million Jews by allowing Jews to kill native semitic Palestinians.

Israel can do no wrong in their eyes. A truly cucked and filthy people.

 

[mulj]

Useless and overpriced system but good excuse to extort more money by zionist jews, holocaust card probably is not enough anymore.

 

[hussain0216]

Useless and overpriced system but good excuse to extort more money by zionist jews, holocaust card probably is not enough anymore.

It's cuck deal between the Jews and German government to try and rip off the German tax payer

This is one of the ways the west keeps Israel afloat

 

[Viet]

Yes they are paying for the blood of 6 million Jews by allowing Jews to kill native semitic Palestinians.

Israel can do no wrong in their eyes. A truly cucked and filthy people.

Why are you upset? This system is defensive from nature, it targets incoming missiles from Iran and Russia. Hatred is misguided. I can sleep better now.

 

[Solomon2]

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[AZ_HighCountry]

Folks, strong suggestion to tread lightly. Very lightly. Keep the discussion regarding Israeli weapons sales to Germany just that. Further references to the Holocaust and associated discussion will be frowned upon. Some of ya' seem to have a knack for derailing a thread.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

The German Army is missing some ammo:

German Army Launches Major Security Probe After 20,000 Rounds Stolen From Civilian Truck In Unsecured Parking Lot | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

I'm indeed concerned. According to a former President, a 9mm will blow a lung right out.

 

[Foinikas]

Discussions are underway between the General Staff of National Defense and the General Staff of the Army with the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) regarding the prospect of acquiring LORA ballistic missiles.

According to information from DefenceReview.gr, the consultations are at an advanced level in order to determine the final cost. As top military sources emphasize to the writer, the submission of prices and a timetable for the acquisition of the Israeli ballistic missiles has already been requested.

Although the issue is at an early stage of discussions, there is a positive mood on the Greek side to immediately initiate the relevant acquisition procedures. The program follows the approval of the procurement of PULS by the Greek Parliament, a program of 692 million euros for 36 new state-of-the-art Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) with PREDATOR HAWK missiles with a maximum range of 300 kilometers as well as EXTRA missiles with a maximum range of 150 kilometers.

Ελληνικός Στρατός: Σε εξέλιξη συζητήσεις για την απόκτηση βαλλιστικών LORA - Defence Review

Σε εξέλιξη βρίσκονται οι συζητήσεις μεταξύ του Γενικού Επιτελείου Εθνικής Άμυνας καθώς και του Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού με την ισραηλινή εταιρεία Israel Aerospace Industries (ΙΑΙ) με αντικείμενο την προοπτική απόκτησης βαλλιστικών πυραύλων LORA. Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες του DefenceReview.gr, οι...

defencereview.gr

 

[Foinikas]

Greece Approves Purchase of Rocket Systems From Israel​

By Tasos Kokkinidis
December 5, 2025

The PULS rocket artillery system can fire a wide range of rockets and missiles from a single platform to various distances without needing to reposition. Credit: Dutch Ministry of Defense, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikipedia
Greece’s lawmakers approved late on Thursday the purchase of 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel for about 650 million euros ($757.84 million), two officials with knowledge of the issue told Reuters.

“In a closed session, the parliament’s defense committee approved the purchase of PULS,” a senior official with knowledge of the issue told Reuters. A second official confirmed the parliament’s approval, adding that the cost would be around 650 to 700 million euros.

Greece and Israel have strong economic and diplomatic ties, have conducted several joint exercises in recent years, and operate an air training center in southern Greece. Greece is also in talks with Israel to develop a 3 billion euro anti-aircraft and missile defense dome.

 

[dani191]

Greece to Deploy Israeli LORA Ballistic Missiles on Aegean Islands in Direct Response to Turkey’s Tayfun Missile Threat​

by Bill Giannopoulos

000
Athens, December 3, 2025 – In a major escalation of the decades-long military balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece is finalizing the acquisition of Israel’s LORA (Long-Range Artillery) precision-guided ballistic missile system, multiple defense sources confirmed today.

The operational-tactical ballistic missile, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), will be fielded by both the Hellenic Air Force and Hellenic Army units, with deployments planned across key Aegean and Mediterranean islands. The move is described by Greek defense officials as a “direct and necessary response” to Turkey’s rapidly expanding arsenal of indigenous precision-guided ballistic missiles, most notably the Tayfun short- and medium-range ballistic missile now in serial production and active service with Turkish land forces.


Military analyst Babak Taghvaee first reported the imminent delivery, stating:

“Soon, the armed forces of Greece will be equipped with LORA precision-guided ballistic missiles from Israel… Very soon, Hellenic land forces will field LORA and EXTRA precision-guided ballistic missiles and long-range artillery rockets on every major Greek island, ensuring credible deterrence against Turkish aggression.”

The LORA system offers a range of up to 400–500 km (depending on payload) with circular error probable (CEP) of under 10 meters, giving Greece the ability to strike high-value targets deep inside Turkish territory from sovereign Greek soil, including islands just a few kilometers from the Turkish coast.

Greece is also reportedly acquiring the EXTRA (Extended Range Artillery) rocket system, providing an intermediate layer of precision fires between traditional artillery and ballistic missiles.

The decision marks a significant shift in Greek doctrine, which has historically relied on air superiority and anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems to counter Turkish numerical advantages. The introduction of land-based ballistic missiles on the islands dramatically raises the stakes in any potential Aegean confrontation and mirrors Turkey’s own deployment of stand-off precision strike capabilities.

Athens views the Turkish Tayfun missile – successfully tested to 565 km and reportedly capable of carrying a 500 kg warhead – as an existential threat to its island garrisons and critical infrastructure. Turkish officials have publicly described Tayfun as part of a “new era” in regional deterrence.

Neither the Greek Ministry of National Defence nor the Israeli embassy in Athens has officially commented on the reported deal, but defense industry sources indicate that initial deliveries could begin as early as 2026.

The deployment of LORA on forward islands would give Greece, for the first time, a symmetric deep-strike capability against Turkish mainland targets – a development likely to trigger strong reactions from Ankara and further intensify the already tense Greco-Turkish arms race.

/U.S. Praises Greece as Guardian and Gateway to Europe