MILAN — Lockheed Martin is gearing up to host a 2024 demonstration in Germany to showcase a version of its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, with improved firepower, according to Lockheed executives.
The American aerospace giant has partnered with Rheinmetall to offer the GMARS weapon – with the G denoting Germany – as a replacement for the German armed forces’ MARS 2 multiple launch rocket systems. The government has donated a handful of the aging launchers to Ukraine to support that country’s defense against Russia.
“We are probably somewhere around 12 months out from a demo in Germany, although I can’t further define what it will consist of,” Tom H. Stanton, director of international business development for tactical missiles and fire control at Lockheed Martin told Defense News in an interview on Dec 13.
Although an official tender for the Bundeswehr program has yet to be released, Lockheed officials hope to capture the business with the promise of increased firepower, doubling the number of munitions of various types that can be loaded at one.
“The Germans are interested in what we call a double load-out capability on the GMARS – it allows for two pods of munitions,” Howard Bromberg, a vice president for strategy and business development, explained. “This allows the launcher to carry two Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), 12 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) or Extended-Range GMLRS, or four Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) between the two pods.”
One likely Lockheed-Rheinmetall competitor for the German program is a European version of the PULS artillery piece from Israel’s Elbit Systems, marketed here with the German-Franco KNDS joint venture that combines Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter. The Netherlands, which cooperates closely with neighboring Germany on ground forces development, ordered 20 of the PULS systems in May.
Rocket artillery has seen resurgence in the course of the Ukraine war, with high-profile strikes against Russian invaders’ positions lending HIMARS an almost legendary reputation. A number of European nations recently requested or have already bought the equipment – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland among them.
Italy is the latest country to have received U.S. approval for the purchase of the M142 HIMARS launchers, bringing the total number of known current and future operators on the continent to seven, including Ukraine and Romania.
“We are in active dialogue with 20-plus European countries, including current and newer users, regarding our launcher solutions ,” Bromberg said.
The vendor has seen user nations request greater accuracy of the weapons, which is partly an economical consideration.
“Based on the demand for munitions like GMLRS and ATACMS, customers are looking for a high level of precision – to address the threat precisely where it is and with fewer missiles fired,” Bromberg added.
This has also involved extending the range of newer munitions, he said, pointing to the next-generation PrSM, which required motor technology and aerodynamic improvements as well as lower missile mass to strike farther.
“With our U.S. government partner, we are also developing PrSM Increment 2 with moving target capability,” Bromberg said. The range of the PrSM currently exceeds 499 kilometers (310 miles), per the company’s website.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
