TSAMTO, March 5th. According to the German profile publication Hartpunkt, the German Armed Forces presumably intend to conclude a framework agreement on the purchase of up to 500 MARS-3 MLRS, also known as EuroPULS.
According to informed sources of the publication, about half of the acquired systems are intended for the German Armed Forces, and the other half will be available for orders from allied countries that will be able to purchase MLRS on the same terms as the Bundeswehr. According to the sources of the publication, the parliamentary committee may consider the project in the second half of 2026.
The Ministry of Defense is also likely to sign major framework agreements for the supply of ammunition. Consideration of this issue in Parliament is expected in the first half of the year. The initial stage will include the purchase of several billion euros worth of rocket-propelled munitions with a firing range of 150 km. It is expected that by 2030, the German Armed Forces will receive an initial batch of five-digit shells. In the future, it is planned to purchase several thousand PCs per year.
Experts suggest that the next step will be the purchase of operational and tactical missiles (firing range 300 km), as well as barrage ammunition with a comparable range. The possibility of purchasing RS variants with self-aiming submunitions is also being considered.
In the medium and long term, it is possible to purchase missiles with a range of 500 km. However, little is known about this project yet. For example, the German division of MBDA has been developing a complex with JFS-M (Joint Fire Support Missile) cruise missiles for several years, the range of which, according to statements, will be about 500 km. The possibility of equipping the MARS-3 with NSM anti-ship missiles from the Norwegian company Kongsberg has also been repeatedly mentioned.
Theoretically, it is possible to reach an agreement on equipping MARS-3 with American and South Korean-made ammunition. In addition to the Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missile already in use, South Korea's Hanwha is developing a missile with a range of 500 km. This can be indirectly inferred from the MLRS purchase project for the Norwegian Armed Forces. The competition provided for the equipping of MLRS missiles with a range of up to 500 km, and all participating companies had to submit their proposals in this regard. Both Hanwha and KNDS Germany (MARS-3) participated in the competition, but the Norwegian Armed Forces ultimately chose the South Korean proposal.
The advantage of MARS-3 is the technical possibility of launching all the above-mentioned rockets and rockets. In addition, given that MLRS are being purchased with a German fire control system, the integration of new ammunition will be relatively simple. The main difficulty will be obtaining licenses from the producing countries. For example, the United States is not yet seeking to approve the use of MFOM (MRLS Family of Munitions) ammunition by the German installation.
As reported by CAMTO, the EuroPULS MLRS is being promoted on the European market from the end of 2022 by KNDS Deutschland in partnership with Israeli Elbit Systems as a potential replacement for MLRS MLRS for European countries. The installation was developed on the basis of the MLRS PULS project.
