Germany receives ultra-high alt Arrow 3 SAM as Israel declares Iron Beam laser ready
December 2, 2025
In a series of announcements, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) spoke about marking the entry of Arrow 3 into German service, as it brings its own Iron Beam laser system into operational use. Israel also talked about looking to robotics to maintain its qualitative edge.
Germany to be first export customer of Arrow 3
According to the Jerusalem Post, Germany is set to unveil and officially deploy the Israeli-supplied Arrow 3 missile defence system. This is a high-altitude system designed for exoatmospheric anti-ballistic missile and has been jointly developed by Israel and the United States.
Germany will officially unveil and deploy the Israeli-supplied “Arrow-3” Exoatmospheric Anti-Ballistic Missile System later this week, according to The Jerusalem Post, in what will be the first ever deployment of the surface-to-air missile system outside of Israel. The Arrow-2/3… pic.twitter.com/gTcZk0dw3Y
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 30, 2025
The contract is worth $3.6 billion and was signed two years ago. It is considered Israel’s largest export deal ever.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense Maj. Gen. Amir Baram went to Germany on Monday to participate in the ceremony set to mark the initial operational capability handover of the Arrow 3 system.
This comes as Germany removes its temporary arms ban placed on Israel as a result of the now-ended Israel-Hamas War. It was built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the German Air Force.
🇩🇪 The German Air Force expects to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of its first of four ARROW 3 Ballistic Missile Defence Systems on December 3rd.https://t.co/77YUZtddEe pic.twitter.com/BCsHGeUNye
— Jeff2146🇧🇪 (@Jeff21461) November 26, 2025
Arrow 3 is part of Israel’s layered air defence. The most famous layer is Iron Dome, which is designed for intercepting rockets. Arrow 3 is the highest layer designed to intercept ballistic missiles in space, out of Earth’s atmosphere. The US Army’s THAAD is also a high-end layer and is designed for the terminal phase defence against short-to-intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
Strengthening of Israel’s layered defence
In statements to AGN, Israel announced the improvements in aspects of its layered defence. One of the biggest threats is the proliferation of drones, and countering them starts with detecting them.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated, “In recent weeks, we have achieved a technological breakthrough in enemy drone detection, and we are now working on interception solutions using drone-based systems that enable response to swarm scenarios…”
During the 12-Day War with Iran, much was said about Israel’s interceptor stocks running down. Directed energy (aka laser) weapons are seen as a key solution. Now Israel is saying its Iron Beam laser system is complete and expected to achieve its first capability delivery on December 30.
Israel’s high powered Iron Beam laser interception system will reach initial operational capability on December 30 2025 after more than a decade of development and testing. A lower powered version has already been used in the current war to shoot down Hezbollah drones launched… pic.twitter.com/Gc13knlVvd
— ILTV Israel News (@ILTVNews) December 1, 2025
Israel is claiming that the “Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield.”
Get the latest aerospace defence news here on AGN.
Rotics wars have arrived
The IDF also spoke of Israel’s recent series of wars, saying, “This is the first robotics war.” While Israel is claiming to have fought the first robotics war, the war in Ukraine is also taking on an increasingly robotic dimension.
Ukrainian UGVs are really taking off https://t.co/6ojwGapuTX
— Preston Stewart (@prestonstew_) November 28, 2025
As military peers, both Ukraine and Russia are racing in the development of robotics. Drones have dominated the headlines for much of the conflict, although Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are playing an increasing role.
The Israeli press release elaborated that the Israeli military “mobilised our entire defence ecosystem and deployed tens of thousands of autonomous systems across the battlefield – from drone swarms to agile ground robotics distributed across vast areas.”
The IDF asserted it is “only at the beginning” of the robotic war revolution. Operational necessity will see Israel significantly expand its robotic capabilities. Robotics is seen as serving a critical bridge “to the world of AI” and will be felt across land, air, and sea theatres.
The IDF ended by saying, “…looking forward, will be integrated into every weapon system and into the operational capability of every soldier.”
Featured Image: Israeli Ministry of Defense
