BERLIN

Germany is set to activate its first Israeli-made Arrow 3 air defense missile system battery aimed at stopping incoming long-range ballistic missiles, media reports said Wednesday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said this air defense would significantly strengthen his country and its partners.

"This gives us the ability for the first time to provide early warning and protect our population and infrastructure from long-range ballistic missiles. With this strategic capability, which is unique among our European partners, we are securing our central role in the heart of Europe,“ Pistorius told the German Press Agency (dpa) in Berlin.

"This means we are not only protecting ourselves but also our partners. We are strengthening the European pillar of NATO and taking on a NATO planning goal," he added.

The system, which was procured in Israel, is reportedly a response to the threat posed by Russia. The defense system is designed to destroy enemy missiles at altitudes of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles)—a capability that the German Armed Forces does not currently possess.

The Schonewalde/Holzdorf air base, located south of Berlin, is the first of three planned Arrow locations.

Germany will be the first country outside Israel to deploy the system under a €3.6 billion ($4.2 billion) defense agreement.

After the end of the Cold War, European countries scaled back their defense of military and civilian targets against air attacks and then neglected it for a long time. NATO planning circles have recently stated that defense capabilities against air attacks would need to be increased by 400%.

The German government is now investing more heavily in air defense. Germany has also launched an initiative for a European air defense system (European Sky Shield Initiative/ESSI), and 23 partner countries have joined the project.