COLOGNE, Germany — The German army has received parliamentary approval to buy an initial batch of Elbit-made PULS rocket artillery systems, a decision that could see Berlin look to European munitions suppliers in the future.
The move, announced just before the Christmas holidays as part of a larger raft of funding approvals for Germany’s armed forces, means the Bundeswehr can spend roughly €65 million, or $68 million USD, on five systems.
The PULS pick, offered by Elbit in conjunction with German-French contractor KNDS, puts an end, for now, to a highly contested race for Germany’s next-generation, multiple-rocket launcher system.
Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall had pitched a competing offer, named GMARS, that came with the lineup of Lockheed’s munitions offerings, including the ubiquitous Guided MLRS rockets, baked into it.
In the end, the Lockheed-Rheinmetall offer wasn’t far enough along, a German Ministry of Defense spokesman told Defense News.
“A usable prototype was not available,” the spokesman said.
The decision in favor of PULS is meant to deepen cooperation between German artillery forces and those of the neighboring Netherlands, which has previously purchased the Israeli product and whose contract provides a piggybacking option for Germany’s impending buy.
“The Dutch army is deeply integrated into German army structures, and the use of a common weapon system will enable further cooperation,” the spokesman wrote in response to a reporter’s questions.
The PULS, which is short for Precise and Universal Launching System, allows for the deployment of a national fire-control system, thereby enabling user nations to pick their own munition types for integration, the spokesman added.
Whether that includes GMLRS rockets, donated by the United States to Ukraine and resident in the stocks of many NATO nations, remains an open question.
Military decision makers in Berlin are banking on a promise from Elbit that the weapons, in the Unitary variant, can be shot with the PULS fire-control software. But Washington’s political approval is also needed.
“Germany is in close coordination with the United States” to that end, the spokesman in Berlin said.
Last summer, Lockheed executive Howard Bromberg, vice president of strategy and business development for land forces, categorically denied that possibility.
“Our MLRS Family of Munitions cannot be integrated into the PULS system — if Germany was to opt for PULS they could not gain access to our missiles,” he told Defense News on the sidelines of the Eurosatory defense trade show in Paris.
The same would apply to the U.S. Army’s newer Precision Strike Missile, which boasts a range of 500 kilometers and more, according to the company.
It’s unclear how prominent the assured access to Lockheed rockets is in Germany’s long-term defense planning, as German and European manufacturers have adjusted to a surge in demand for munitions of all ranges and propulsion types, guided and unguided.
In September, Elbit and Germany’s Diehl Defence signed a cooperation agreement tailored to PULS users in Europe and Germany in particular. In addition, pan-European missile maker MBDA is jockeying for position in the emerging market of longer-range weapons, deemed a critical element of Europe’s deterrence posture vis-à-vis Russia.
Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.
