On Friday, March 27, 2026, the German company KNDS Deutschland (part of the Franco-German joint venture KNDS), a leading pan-European provider of land systems, and the Israeli company Elbit Systems, a leader in military systems and technologies, agreed to establish a joint venture to bring the EuroPULS (European Precise & Universal Launching System) multiple rocket launcher system to market.
Photo: KNDS Deutschland
The joint venture, which will be named EuroPULS GmbH, is planned as a 50:50 partnership between the two companies. Based in Kassel, Germany, EuroPULS GmbH will focus primarily on meeting the needs of European armed forces in the field of rocket artillery systems.
“This partnership positions us stronger to further enhance the market presence of our rocket artillery capabilities,” said Axel Scheibel, Chief Technology Officer at KNDS Deutschland. “Elbit contributes its battle-proven rocket launcher system PULS while KNDS brings its advanced fire control technology and broad European customer base. Together, we are confident that EuroPULS will meet the growing demand of European nations strengthening the defence capabilities.”
Yehuda (Udi) Vered, General Manager of Elbit System Land, added:
“The establishment of this JV marks an important step in deepening our industrial cooperation and our commitments in Europe and NATO. By combining KNDS’s strong presence in European land systems with Elbit’s combat-proven capabilities in this field, we are creating a solution tailored to the evolving needs of European and NATO armed forces.”
Under an intergovernmental agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Israel (which ordered 20 launchers), Germany, as a partner, ordered the first five MARS 3 launchers (the local designation for EuroPULS), with delivery and qualification scheduled for 2027.
On December 2, 2022, Elbit Systems and the then Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), now KNDS Deutschland, initiated cooperation on the development of a EuroPULS variant to be offered in the E-COLORSS (European COmmon LOng Range indirect Fire Support System) program as a successor to the European M270 MLRS launchers. Subsequently, on September 14, 2023, a Teaming Agreement was concluded.
Meanwhile, on March 3 this year, the German industry magazine Hartpunkt, citing several well-informed sources, reported that the Bundeswehr plans to commission the production of around 500 MARS 3 launchers under a framework agreement, roughly half for its own use, with the remainder potentially to be ordered by interested allied countries under the same terms.
Earlier, Elbit Systems received orders for PULS systems from the ministries of defense of Denmark (on March 2, 2023, eight launchers were ordered, with the first two delivered on August 3, 2023), from a first undisclosed customer on July 18, 2023, from Spain (16 launchers ordered in October 2023, though the government terminated the contract in September 2025 as part of a broader embargo on Israeli arms), from a second undisclosed customer on August 6, 2024, from a third undisclosed customer on November 18, 2024, from Peru on July 8, 2025 (quantity undisclosed), from a fourth undisclosed customer on August 13, 2025 (later revealed to be Serbia), while on December 16, 2025, Greece announced its purchase (reportedly 38 launchers). Most recently, it has emerged that India has also become a user of the system, where it has been designated SuryAstra.
Elbit Systems and KNDS are establishing EuroPULS GmbH – a new joint venture dedicated to advancing next‑generation rocket artillery capabilities for European armed forces.
EuroPULS GmbH will operate as a 50:50 partnership, combining Elbit’s combat‑proven PULS launcher with… pic.twitter.com/HcvbyYaL2A
— Elbit Systems (@ElbitSystemsLtd) March 26, 2026