The US has demanded that half of the production of Israeli Arrow 3 batteries being sold to Germany take place in the US, KAN news reported on Wednesday.
As the US was a part of the development of the Arrow 3 system, their approval of the pending deal between Israel and Germany is required.
While the US has approved the deal in principle, it has also demanded that development efforts taking place between the two countries continue and that the production of the systems for Germany not impact this relationship.
The Arrow 3, one of Israel’s most advanced air-defense systems, is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at altitudes of over 100 km. (62 miles), with a reported range of up to 2,400 km. (1,491 miles). The system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, includes components developed in the US, which has poured billions into the system.
In April, The Jerusalem Post reported that Germany had received approval from Israel and the United States to purchase the Arrow-3 missile defense system.
German officials say Arrow-3 most relevant to threats it faces
The head of the German Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, told the Post at the time that the system is the most relevant option for the threats facing the country.
“The Iron Dome is used for short-range threats, and we have quite a capable industry back home, and we will procure systems for that,” Gerhartz said. “And for higher interceptors, we have the Patriot weapons system that we will modernize. [But] if it means [threats at a range of ] 15,000 km. [9,320 miles] and then it is exo-atmospheric, we don’t have anything, and that is why I had a close look at the Arrow 3 and we are really interested in the system.”
The purchase of the system, which has been pushed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “starts with the approval of Israel and the United States – and they gave us the approval,” Gerhartz said. “They gave us the approval that we can cooperate on it. But, we still have to talk about the details.”
Earlier this month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on the proposal that, if allowed, would be the largest defense deal in Israeli history, reaching a sum of €3 billion ($2.93 billion).
Germany has requested that the first Arrow system be operational in the country by 2025.