German newspaper Bild reported Wednesday that the German Navy had completed what it described as a “secret test” of the Israeli-made LORA ballistic missile in the North Atlantic.
According to the report, the German military expects to advance plans to purchase the missiles, which have a range of more than 500 kilometers. “The range exceeds anything we have known until now,” German Navy chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack said of the Israeli missiles.
Watch: LORA missile in action at sea, 2020
(Video: IAI)
In an article praising the capabilities of the Israel Aerospace Industries-made missile, Bild also highlighted the country Germany increasingly views as its primary security threat: Russia.
Germany accused Russia only days earlier of being behind an explosive drone found last month near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig Airport. The aircraft was carrying military ammunition, and German officials said an explosion could have caused devastating damage.
Bild wrote that acquiring the system would form part of Germany’s rearmament plans launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, aimed at deterring Moscow. Concern among Germany’s allies is growing over possible aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newspaper wrote.
Its headline read: “Secret mission! German Navy tests Israeli missile,” accompanied by Kaack’s comments about the weapon’s range. The LORA ballistic missile is now expected to be offered to Germany in a deal potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Germany has already purchased Israel Aerospace Industries’ Arrow 3 missile defense system in major deals. The Bild report described the latest test as a significant step toward a possible acquisition. Two LORA missiles were launched from a German Navy warship, and according to reports on the test, both struck their designated targets at sea.
If Germany decides to buy the missiles, it would join a small group of countries known to possess the Israeli system, including Azerbaijan and India.
The test also marks a milestone for the German Navy because Germany currently does not possess ballistic missiles. According to German reports, the missiles were launched from the frigate Sachsen-Anhalt, one of four F125-class frigates operated by the German Navy. Two frigates were sent to an area between Ireland and Iceland for the test.
Germany already has a similar long-range strike capability through its Taurus cruise missiles, of which the German military holds about 600. Their official range also exceeds 500 kilometers.
Unlike LORA, however, the Taurus is launched from fighter jets and flies toward its target at low altitude. The Israeli missile can also be launched from ships, climbs to altitude and travels toward its target on a ballistic trajectory at much higher speed. Germany is also developing an upgraded version of the Taurus, known as Taurus NEO, with production expected to begin in 2029.
(Photo: Manon Cruz/POOL/AFP)
Bild said Israel Aerospace Industries describes LORA as a precision “tactical missile” that Israeli security forces have used in Lebanon and, in an aircraft-adapted version, in Iran.
Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled the air-launched version, known as AIR LORA, at the ILA aerospace exhibition in Berlin last year. The missile is designed to be launched from fighter aircraft while they remain far from the target and outside the range of enemy air-defense systems.
Calcalist on Wednesday quoted senior Israeli defense officials as saying that the emerging German deal would focus, at least initially, on the naval version of the ballistic missile.
They added that follow-on deals could also be possible in the coming years. According to the officials, the prospects for a deal are very high because LORA has proven operational experience, including in fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh in recent years.
The LORA is part of a broader German effort to expand its long-range strike capabilities in response to the Russian threat.
According to Bild, Berlin is also planning to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, while working with allies on the development of European-made long-range missile systems.
Germany regards its shortage of long-range precision weapons as one of the capability gaps it is now seeking to close.
Germany is also among the relatively small number of European countries that maintained comparatively stable relations with Israel while Jerusalem faced sharp criticism over its conduct in Gaza following the October 7 massacre.
Unlike many other European countries, Germany took a relatively restrained approach, although it restricted sales of offensive weapons to Israel for several months before later lifting those limitations.