(Reuters) – Germany on Thursday signed a letter of commitment with Israel to buy its Arrow-3 missile defence system for nearly 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion), the defence ministers of the two countries said in a press conference.
The deal represents Israel’s biggest ever defence sale and follows a European arms build-up in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The purchase will be financed from a 100 billion-euro special military fund that the German government agreed on last year in reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The Arrow-3 system, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere, is expected to be delivered from the fourth quarter of 2025.
(1 euro = $1.0541)
($1 = 0.9507 euros)
(Reporting by Amir Orusov; Editing by Sharon Singleton)