New Arrow 4 guided missile: Germany's answer to Putin's air strikes!

New Arrow 4 guided missile: Germany's answer to Putin's air strikes!

The Bundeswehr is intensively preparing for possible Russian air strikes and is planning to deploy a new guided missile that is seen as a potential game changer: the Arrow 4. This measure is part of the comprehensive strategy led by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who holds the only ministerial post that has survived the change of government. Given the war in Ukraine and the ongoing threat from Russia, the role of the Secretary of Defense is crucial.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants Germany to have the “strongest army in Europe”. To this end, the Bundeswehr will benefit from the 100 billion euro special fund intended to refresh and improve military capacities. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has already announced that Germany plans to invest five percent of GDP in defense. This makes it clear how serious the security situation is assessed.

Innovative defense systems

Lieutenant General Lutz Kohlhaus has confirmed the procurement of Israel's Arrow 4 missile defense system, designed specifically to intercept ballistic missiles, including those with nuclear, chemical and biological warheads. The Arrow-3 missiles are capable of destroying missiles in ballistic orbit outside the atmosphere. According to information from bundeswehr.de The Arrow 4 rockets will be used in the transition layer to space and could even intercept hypersonic missiles.

The Bundeswehr aims to cover the entire altitude range from 30 to 100 kilometers. Arrow 4 is seen as a complement to the existing Patriot and IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft systems. The Arrow-4 technology is currently still in the development phase, which means that testing under real conditions will take months. It is particularly important for the Air Force that another six IRIS-T SLM systems are procured quickly.

Overall weapon systems and challenges

In total, the Bundeswehr plans to use 29 weapon systems, including 16 Patriots, 6 IRIS-T SLM and 1 Arrow system. However, a key concern remains the issue of human resources: there are concerns about the availability of adequately trained staff needed to operate these state-of-the-art systems. These challenges must be overcome in order to ensure military readiness and achieve defense policy goals.

The Bundeswehr and the government are faced with the task of quickly implementing the planned changes while at the same time ensuring Germany's military stability. Mercury reports that the path to a powerful army is taking a big step forward with current developments.