Germany is moving ahead with the expansion of its emerging missile defense network by establishing a second Arrow air defense installation in Bavaria, adding to the country’s first operational site near Berlin.
On Tuesday, the German Defense Ministry confirmed plans to create an “Einsatzstellung Süd” (Southern Operational Position) in the wider Kaufbeuren region. The facility will accommodate components of Germany’s Arrow Weapon System (AWS-G). The announcement was made jointly by Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, German Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann, and Alexander Götz, who heads force expansion efforts at the Defense Ministry.
The new installation builds on Germany’s initial deployment of the Arrow 3 system at Fliegerhorst Holzdorf/Schönewalde, located between the states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, which became operational in December. That deployment marked the first time the Israeli-developed missile defense system had been stationed outside Israel.
Delivered under an accelerated acquisition timeline negotiated with Israel Aerospace Industries, the first Arrow battery provided Germany with its inaugural capability to identify and intercept ballistic missiles in space-like altitudes beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. German officials had previously indicated that the country’s long-term missile defense framework would eventually include additional installations in both northern Germany, specifically Schleswig-Holstein, and southern Germany, including Bavaria.
According to German public broadcasters, Kaufbeuren will host the radar infrastructure for the system, while the interceptor launchers assigned to the southern battery are expected to be based at the nearby Lechfeld Air Base.
German defense officials describe the Arrow system as a protective capability designed to provide early warning and defense for civilians, key infrastructure assets, and military forces. The government also highlights Germany’s strategic importance as a transit and logistics hub for allied NATO forces in the event of a conflict involving the alliance’s eastern members. The new southern site is expected to improve Germany’s capacity to detect and eliminate ballistic missile threats at altitudes exceeding 100 kilometers through direct kinetic interception.
The latest expansion reflects Germany’s continued investment in the Arrow program following the activation of the Schönewalde site. In December, Germany and Israel signed an additional $3.1 billion agreement to increase inventories of interceptors and launch systems, bringing Germany’s total expenditure on the Arrow program to more than $6.5 billion. The full deployment of the country’s multi-site Arrow missile shield is expected to progress throughout the remainder of the decade.
