German army chooses Israel's Elbit over US's Lockheed Martin for rocket launchers procurement

Israeli defence company Elbit Systems has successfully outbid U.S. company Lockheed Martin and German firm Rheinmetall in a bid for Germany’s GMARS multiple rocket launcher procurement.

The German parliament has approved the first batch of the artillery systems, worth €65 million, with Elbit emerging victorious alongside French-German contractor KNDS, which will handle the delivery of the systems and munitions, Caliber.Az informs via Israeli media. 

The German army’s extensive defence procurements continue to target Israeli manufacturers, with Elbit’s PULS rocket artillery system also being chosen after close competition from an American rival. A spokesperson from the German Ministry of Defense explained the decision to "Defense News," stating, “The US-German bid 'wasn’t far enough along' and that 'a usable prototype was not available.'"

The spokesperson also highlighted Germany’s existing cooperation with the Dutch and Danish armies, which have already procured Elbit’s artillery systems. “The Dutch army is deeply integrated into German army structures, and the use of a common weapon system will enable further cooperation,” the spokesperson added.

With this latest procurement, Germany is expected to navigate through the process of obtaining U.S. approval to use state-made GMLRS armament in the Israeli systems. However, this is expected to be granted, given Germany’s established relationship with the U.S. on similar matters. "Germany is in close coordination with the US on this issue," said the Ministry of Defense.

Notably, the U.S. has previously approved Germany as the world's first customer for the Arrow-3 ballistic missile defense system. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin’s CEO had stated earlier in the summer that the option of using U.S. armaments in the Israeli systems "is not on the table at all."

Israeli defence sources point to the heightened competition in Europe’s artillery market over the past two years, driven by countries’ efforts to "donate" existing artillery rockets to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, as well as the need for NATO countries to strengthen their own military readiness due to concerns about potential Russian aggression.

By Khagan Isayev