On March 2, 2023, the Israeli company Elbit Systems announced the conclusion "with a NATO member country" of two contracts worth $ 252 million for the supply of 155 mm/52 ATMOS self-propelled howitzers on a wheeled chassis and multi-purpose PULS missile systems to the armed forces of this country. Obviously, this country is Denmark. Earlier, at the end of January, there were reports that the Danish defense procurement agency Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse (FMI) is negotiating with Elbit Systems on the purchase of 19 ATMOS self-propelled howitzers and eight PULS modular missile systems (two batteries) for the Danish army, instead of the 19 Nexter Systems CAESAR self-propelled howitzers previously ordered from France for Denmark to Ukraine. The Tatra T815 (8x8) wheeled chassis, which have not yet been delivered.
Combat vehicle of the multi-purpose multi-caliber missile system Elbit Systems PULS on a Tatra (6x6) car chassis. Four high-precision operational-tactical missiles EXTRA (c) Elbit Systems are placed in the transport and launch containers According to a press release from Elbit Systems, the first contract for the supply of 155 mm/52 ATMOS self-propelled howitzers on a wheeled chassis has a cost of $ 119 million and provides for the supply of one divisional kit (which corresponds to the previously mentioned figure of 19 installations, including one training).
The delivery must be carried out within two years. The specific version of the ATMOS ACS for Denmark is not yet known.
The second contract in the amount of $ 133 million provides for the supply of two batteries of the PULS missile system (which corresponds to the previously mentioned figure of 8 combat vehicles), including missile ammunition. The contract must be implemented within three years. Earlier it was reported in the media that Elbit Systems expressed readiness to supply Denmark with the first PULS battery "this summer."
The PULS (multi-Purpose Universal Launching System) multi-purpose multi-caliber rocket system produced by Elbit Systems is actually a rebranding of the system formerly known as Lynx. The PULS system can use 122-mm and 160-mm unguided and guided missiles, 306-mm guided high-precision missiles EXTRA, 370-mm guided Predator Hawk missiles, Delilah cruise missiles, as well as, apparently, standard missiles of the American MLRS and HIMARS missile systems.
The multi-purpose launcher of the PULS system can be carried on various chassis and has two transport and launch containers, each of which can accommodate 18 Accular 122 mm missiles with a range of up to 35 km, or ten Accular 160 mm missiles with a range of up to 40 km, or four EXTRA missiles with a range of up to 150 km, or two Predator Hawk missiles with a range of up to 300 km.
Recall that the Danish defense procurement agency FMI in May 2017, following an international tender, signed a contract with the French Nexter Systems group worth $ 53 million for the purchase of 15 self-propelled CAESAR howitzers of 155 mm/52 caliber on a Tatra T815 (8×8) wheeled chassis, with an option for six more guns, becoming the first customer this modification, the prototype of which was first presented in 2015. In November 2019, Denmark partially exercised the option by signing a contract for four more ACS, bringing the total number of CAESAR systems ordered to 19. The total cost of the entire purchase, taking into account related costs and ammunition, was estimated at $ 130 million.
Unlike the basic modification for the French army, the CAESAR self-propelled gun on the Tatra T815 chassis is equipped with an automated gun loading system and an armored cabin. The calculation was reduced from five to 3-4 people, and the ammunition carried was increased from 18 to 30 shots, but the gross weight increased from 18 to 32 tons. The system is equipped with a Tatra V8 diesel engine with a capacity of 410 hp.
The start of deliveries of the CAESAR ACS to Denmark was originally planned no later than 24 months after the signing of the contract, that is, in May 2019, but the system in this version encountered technical problems, and as a result the program turned into a long-term construction. The first two serial self-propelled guns were presented to Denmark in 2019, but their fine-tuning and testing were seriously delayed, with repeated firing ranges in France and Denmark. In June 2020, Nexter Systems notified the Danish military of the forced suspension of further deliveries. In the future, the delivery dates of the first ordered 15 systems repeatedly shifted "to the right".
At the end of June 2022, FMI again announced another postponement of the transfer of the CAESAR ACS due to a number of technical errors identified during the final tests of the artillery systems in March 2022. And finally, during the tests in 2022, one of the machines received such significant mechanical damage that it is subject to complete replacement, that is, assembly from scratch. According to the official statement, the supplier undertook to eliminate the shortcomings by the end of October 2022 and transfer 14 ACS of the main order to the Danish customer at the end of 2022. The delivery of the newly assembled 15th car was expected in the first quarter of 2023. However, then the deadline for Denmark to receive all 19 self-propelled guns again moved to the first half of 2023, and, apparently, some of the defects were not eliminated.
As a result, on January 19, 2023, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced the decision of the Danish government to transfer to Ukraine as military assistance all 19 ordered problematic CAESAR self-propelled howitzers that were never received, with their delivery to Ukraine within six months. In return, negotiations were initiated on the purchase of artillery and missile systems in Israel from Elbit Systems.
155 mm/52 self-propelled howitzer Elbit Systems ATMOS (c) Elbit SystemsVideo: