Bundeswehr plans Arrow missile defense radar installation in Friesenried

The German military (Bundeswehr) plans to install a radar unit for the Arrow missile defense system in Friesenried, located in the Allgäu region. The system is designed to detect hostile missiles at distances of several hundred kilometers and is intended to provide a protective shield for Germany and NATO.

Local residents in Friesenried and the nearby city of Kaufbeuren have expressed significant opposition to the plan. The primary grievance is that the radar unit will be situated in a local recreation area rather than on an existing military base. The system is expected to be operational by 2029.

The Arrow system is a modern defense technology capable of intercepting medium- and long-range missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere. While the radar is slated for Friesenried, interceptor missiles may be stationed at the Lechfeld airbase near Augsburg. This site would form part of a three-location network in Germany, alongside existing or planned sites in Saxony-Anhalt and near the North Sea.

Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, Inspector of the Air Force, stated that the decision was driven by the changed security situation in Europe following the war in Ukraine and the global increase in ballistic missile threats.