The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that it signed a deal worth billions of shekels to expand procurement of Arrow 3 interceptors. The move comes amid escalating ballistic missile attacks on the densely-populated center of the country by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
As part of the deal, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will supply the Israel Defense Forces with a significant number of Arrow 3 interceptors, which are used to shoot down long-range threats such as those emanating from the Iranian proxy and directly from Tehran during its two direct attacks on the Jewish state in April and October.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, director general of the Ministry of Defense, signed the production contract at a ceremony at the ministry in Tel Aviv. The agreement was led by the Israel Missile Defense Organization within the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development.
Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the deal, stressing that Israel has the best aerial defense capabilities in the world, with the Arrow 3 system proving itself against the Iranian and Houthi attacks.
Arrow 3 “is not just a critical defense layer against missile threats, but also a symbol of the Israeli industry’s groundbreaking capabilities,” said Katz. “The Israel Ministry of Defense will continue to lead global innovation while strengthening Israel’s national security and technological independence. Well done to all those involved in this work. Am Israel Chai!”
Zamir noted that Arrow 3 performed its first-ever operational interception in space at the start of the war and “has since intercepted many complex threats with very high success rates.”
He continued, “Arrow 3 served as the central defense layer in stopping missile attacks on Israel. With today’s signing of the deal, we express confidence in Israeli technology and the Israeli defense industry. We will continue to ensure the defense array is prepared for evolving challenges. The deal will inject billions of shekels into the Israeli industry, support thousands of households, and strengthen local production independence.”
Brig. Gen. (res.) Daniel Gold, head of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development; Boaz Levy, CEO of IAI; Israel Missile Defense Organization Director Moshe Patel; Dekel Cohen, the head of the ministry’s Finance Department; and other senior officials attended Tuesday’s signing ceremony.
The Arrow 3 deal comes on the heels of Israel and Slovakia sealing their largest-ever defense deal, amounting to approximately €560 million ($580 million), which Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Monday.
The deal, orchestrated by the ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT), involves the sale of Israel’s Barak MX Integrated Air Defense System.
The system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, “is designed to counter current and future aerial threats, including ballistic threats,” and “its operational success in Israel and globally underscores its reliability and effectiveness, making it a valuable addition to Slovakia’s defense infrastructure,” according to a ministry statement.