On Thursday, February 6, 2025, the Israeli company Elbit Systems announced that it had signed a 57 million USD contract with the German Federal Ministry of Defense, represented by the Bundeswehr’s Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), for the delivery of PULS (Precise & Universal Launching System) multiple rocket launchers. The order is being carried out under agreements between the governments of the Netherlands, Israel, and Germany.
Photo and image: Elbit Systems
Under the contract, Elbit Systems, in cooperation with Germany’s KNDS Deutschland (part of the German-French joint venture KNDS), will deliver rocket artillery systems, develop related adaptations, and integrate German C4I-class equipment (such as command and fire control systems). These systems will undergo testing procedures conducted by BAAINBw and associated technical testing centers to obtain approval for use in the Bundeswehr. The systems will also receive manufacturer support during their operational service.
Yehuda (Udi) Vered, General Manager of Elbit System Land stated:
“We are proud to have been selected, together with KNDS Deutschland, to deliver the Rocket Launcher Artillery System solution, which aims to set the foundation for the Bundeswehr’s Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System. This acquisition paves the way for future orders of the Euro-PULS configuration and highlights the strength of our European collaboration with KNDS Deutschland, reflecting our joint-commitment to delivering advanced, operationally proven, flexible, and cost-effective solutions that enhance the operational capabilities of our customers.”
Ralf Ketzel, CEO of KNDS Deutschland stated:
“The cooperation between Elbit Systems and KNDS Deutschland marks a milestone in the development of a European Indirect Fire System for rockets. Elbit’s technology meets the European systems know-how of KNDS. As the OEM for European land systems such as the Leopard 2 and PzH 2000, KNDS will ensure that the PULS Systems becomes the EuroPULS. The common joint venture, EuroPULS, is the proper approach to cooperate on eyelevel as partner.”
On December 2, 2022, Elbit Systems and the then Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW; now KNDS Deutschland) established a partnership to develop the EuroPULS variant, which was initially intended to be offered under the E-COLORSS (European Common Long Range Indirect Fire Support System) program as a successor to European M270 MLRS launchers (the European missile for M270 MLRS).
EuroPULS is designed with an open architecture and an adaptable structure, allowing the integration of the Advanced Launcher module with a wide range of platforms. Additionally, it is expected to support the integration of munitions from other manufacturers, in line with Bundeswehr requirements, including scatterable mine ammunition, missiles with self-guiding anti-tank submunitions, NSM (Naval Strike Missile) and RBS-15 anti-ship missiles, as well as the planned JFS-M cruise missiles.
EuroPULS
PULS
The funding for the contract was approved on December 18, 2024, by the budget committee (Haushaltsausschuss) of the German parliament (Bundestag). However, the procurement process was delayed, as the first reports about plans to sign the contract appeared in German industry media as early as October 10, 2023.
Although the number of launchers has not been disclosed, previous reports mentioned five units, intended to replace the same number of MARS-II/MLRS-E launchers that were delivered to Ukraine. In the long term, however, as part of the Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System (Zukünftige System Indirektes Feuer großer Reichweite) program, Germany is seeking a successor for 34 systems. The main competitor to EuroPULS in this program is the German-American GMARS system.
So far, Elbit Systems has received orders for the PULS system from the defense ministries of Denmark (which ordered 8 launchers on March 2, 2023, with the first 2 delivered on August 3, 2023), the Netherlands (which ordered 20 launchers on May 18, 2023), an undisclosed customer on July 18, 2023, Spain (which ordered 16 launchers in October 2023), a second undisclosed customer on August 6, 2024, and a third undisclosed customer on November 18, 2024. Additionally, according to media reports, Greece is expected to join the list of buyers with an order for 38 launchers. The system is also being offered to Norway, which is simultaneously considering the competing M142 HIMARS system.
The baseline PULS system, developed as an evolution of the Lynx system by Israel Military Industries (IMI), can carry various types of rockets: 122-mm Accular rockets (18 simultaneously) with a range of up to 35 km, 160-mm Accular rockets (10 simultaneously) with a range of up to 40 km, 306-mm EXTRA rockets (4 simultaneously) with a range of 150 km, and 370-mm Predator Hawk rockets (2 simultaneously) with a range of 300 km (or 370 km in the Israeli version).
It is also worth noting that on March 4, 2024, the German group Rheinmetall AG announced that it had received an order from an undisclosed NATO member in Europe for the delivery of guided artillery munitions with a range of 300 km for multiple rocket launchers. Many indications suggest that the system in question is PULS, and the recipient is likely Spain.
https://twitter.com/ElbitSystemsLtd/status/1887405539971506647
