Re-arming the Bundeswehr: Which Projects?

KMW and Elbit Systems intensify Rocket Artillery Cooperation
02.12.2022

After having signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding in June this year, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Ulm based defence company Elbit Systems Deutschland and Elbit Systems Land have agreed to intensify their strategic cooperation.

Background is the modernisation and the capability extension of the European Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS / MARS II). Elbit provides a modern effector portfolio, to fully comply with the MLRS-User demands from extended range rockets to new training ammunition which will enable the user to “train as you fight” on national proving grounds.

KMW and Elbit have established the concept “Euro-PULS” for the next generation European Long Range Rocket Artillery as the successor system for the MLRS. This concept has already been offered to the first European customers. The Euro-PULS system is based on Elbit Systems’ operational and in-service Multi-Purpose Universal Launching System (PULS) and a range of precision guided munitions. KMW complements the Euro-PULS with decades of know-how as system house and vast experience in building and customizing (rocket) artillery systems complying European standards. This provides the capability to integrate every rocket according to User’s requirements. Both companies envision a local rocket production to ensure Europe’s independence.

This means a Future Rocket Artillery System made in Europe.
Click to expand...
Euro-PULS.jpg
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t152AJcJrNc
 
Losing compatibility with the MLRS pods seems like a poor choice. Like it or not, that form factor is likely to become a de facto standard. See the Korean K239 Chunmoo, for example.
 
Grey Havoc said:
In something of a desperate PR move:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ze2a9w
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/ze2a9w/german_chancellor_olaf_scholz_poses_with_a/
Click to expand...
That picture was already taken and published in summer. With all the terrible PR, the extremely chaotic and sometimes kafkaesque decision making in Germany and the failures to achieve set goals immediately, many of us often seem to miss what kind of a change this current phase of the Russo-Ukrainian war (the war started already in 2014 or even 1918 as some claim) has already brought about in German policy. Scholz might not be the most inspiring leader (I would inspire that my prime minister, Sanna Marin has a much better drive) and the way he makes decisions is sometimes both terribly old-fashioned and glacially slow, but just a year ago the idea of Germany donating Ukraine 50 Gepards, 10 PzH-2000, 6 MARS-22, IRIS-T SLM and a plethora of lighter weaponry and funding the Ukrainian acquisition of Zuzanna 2, about 100 PzH-2000 and 18 RCH-155 would have been all but laughable. (Germany actually ranks third in the value of weaponry donated to Ukraine.) Even the fact that Scholz has been visiting Bundeswehr manoeuvres several times and has had himself photographed posing with a Gepard is something unseen with German chancellors since Kohl's tenure.

We'll see what comes next, but I would not be too surprised to see a joint European project of donating Ukraine Leopard 1A5 or Leopard 2A4 where Germany also participates. Providing major components to some kind of new version of T-84M (a T-84M with Rheinmetall L/55 120 mm gun, a higher turret permitting better gun depression and a Yatagan-style autoloader with an extra ten rounds and German optics would be prefect for Ukraine) or producing Lynx or a tracked Boxer IFV for Ukraine would not be unimaginable, either. I am also quite certain that the Germans will start to seriously sort out the Bundeswehr but it will take quite some years as the mess has become massive during the last two decades. We Finns can be even more outrageously slow to start things than the Germans, but when we do get to speed, we will press on until the end, and I am quite sure that so will the Germans. They have been changing their mindset for a year now and will now have to draw plans (it is ridiculously late, but making major decissions in panic can be even worse) and start executing them.
 
Grey Havoc said:
Didn't get around to posting this earlier. From the 21st of December:
www.defensenews.com

Germany’s Puma panzer hangs in the balance after report of mass outage

Initial results of a damage investigation into problems at a recent field exercise are expected in the last week of the year.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
Click to expand...
It's quite telling that the SPz Puma is quite commonly called Pannenpanzer in German press and public discourse. I do wonder if there are already bets on which one of the duo Ajax and Puma will either be axed or debugged first...
 
I recall that every infantry vehicle seems to have had issues.. They seem to suffer from too many different requirements being loaded on one platform.
Watching Ukrainian soldiers riding Vietnam style on ancient Spartans I wonder if we need to find some better answers.
 

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