Germany has taken a major step towards buying the Israeli-made Arrow-3 air defense system, with an Israeli official confirming that the Germany Bundestag’s budget committee has approved spending €560 million to start procuring the weapon.

“The decision represents a significant upgrade in the strategic relationship between Israel and Germany. Germany and Europe as a whole will benefit from this step, as will the Israeli economy,” Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor wrote on social media.

The statement also noted that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will be at next week’s Paris Airshow and will “meet his counterparts from France, Italy, Hungary and Romania.”

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The Arrow-3 deal has been in the works since at least September, when initial reports about the discussions became public in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The overall deal is estimated to be around €4 billion ($4.3 billion) in total cost, with today’s budget decision being characterize as an advance payment.

Read more: Breaking Defense