The German Parliament has authorized the Bundeswehr to purchase five Israeli-made PULS rocket systems instead of the GMARS, which was developed collaboratively by the American company Lockheed Martin and the German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall.
The mere fact of this approval indicates that Germany is indeed placing its bet on Israeli-made rocket systems, as noted in a publication by Defense News. Additionally, we at Defense Express would like to emphasize that if the Bundeswehr has opted for the Israeli PULS over the American development, it raises questions about how the U.S. Army will engage in combat in Europe.
To start, let's recall some basic details. The GMARS system is essentially an upgraded version of HIMARS, which was first showcased at Eurosatory 2024 and is capable of launching even massive long-range JASSM cruise missiles.
In contrast, regarding the approval to acquire PULS, it is likely about its localization under the name EuroPuls, which was also first presented at Eurosatory 2024, developed collaboratively by KNDS and Israeli Elbit Systems. This version allows for the launch of not only various types of long-range missiles but also kamikaze drones. We have previously mentioned both systems in our publications.
It is also important to clarify that currently, this involves a relatively modest procurement – only five PULS systems for 65 million euros, or 13 million euros per PULS, clearly without accompanying ammunition. In this context, the authors of Defense News note that the Bundeswehr might seek to source missiles for their rocket systems from European manufacturers.
At a glance, it may seem that the procurement of just five PULS systems for the Bundeswehr is indeed a minor event, especially when compared to data from The Military Balance 2024, which indicated that at the beginning of last year, the German army had 38 M270 MLRS systems at its disposal.
However, from another perspective, the fact that Germany has ordered five PULS units only intensifies the trend whereby these systems are literally "closing in on" HIMARS in terms of orders in Europe.
Furthermore, this "closing in on" HIMARS by the Israeli PULS system specifically suggests a potential imbalance in the segment of guided rocket munitions that NATO European countries will utilize for their rocket systems.
This, in turn, raises questions about the resilience of the arms manufacturing supply chains for Western countries, especially in light of the ongoing threat from the Russian Federation.