Netherlands says Israeli PULS system better than HIMARS PHOTO

The Secretary of State for Defense of the Netherlands addressed the House of Representatives of the country with a letter explaining that they are strengthening the firepower of the armed forces with the purchase of artillery rockets for the army and for a long time. – long-range weapons for the Navy and Air Force.

These are systems that can target targets with great precision and power at greater distances. Specifically, the Dutch defense has chosen Israeli PULS systems for the land domain and US Tomahawk and JASSM-ER missiles for the naval and air domains, respectively. The expected total value reaches 4 billion euros, Bulgarian Military reports.

The Netherlands, also called the ‘Kingdom of the Low Countries’, is expected to acquire the Israeli PULS this year. According to statements in the Dutch media, this deal will be worth around 500 million euros. The Netherlands will thus have its own rocket artillery for the first time in years, allowing it to provide effective fire support.

Currently, Dutch fire support is based on armored howitzers that can fire at a distance of up to 50 kilometers.

The Netherlands originally intended to purchase American HIMARS. Washington offered a price of $670 million. In the end, however, Amsterdam settled on the Israeli PULS.

Amsterdam gave an explanation why they preferred the Israeli system and it turns out that the reason is not money, but technological capabilities. For example: compared to the American HIMARS system, PULS can carry more missiles, it also allows more missiles to be purchased with the same budget, and they can also be available earlier.

Last but not least, the Netherlands takes into account the fact that European ammunition is very suitable for the Israeli PULS system. This will not only save Dutch taxpayers money but will facilitate future logistical processes in the delivery of repurchases and ammunition.

The Netherlands is not the only country to choose the Israeli manufacturer and its missile system. Denmark is also buying the PULS system, and Germany is showing an interest that “offers prospects for international cooperation to increase European autonomy.” German company Krauss Maffei Wegmann [KMW] agreed last year with Israel’s Elbit Systems to develop a version for Europe called Europuls.

However, the Netherlands will not limit itself to the purchase of PULS. Awaiting its F-35s ordered by the US, and the delivery of the PULS pending, Amsterdam decided to look for an answer to the threat by sea. Therefore, the Netherlands settled on the American Tomahawk anti-ship missile. In this way, the Dutch warships will be countered at a distance of 1,000 km.

Last but not least, to be compatible both during exercises and in real combat, the Netherlands looked around and realized that Britain and Spain also use Tomahawk against maritime threats. Spain, for example, is expected to arm its S-80 submarines, which are about to enter service, with this missile.

Solving some of the complex defense tasks, such as air and sea, the Netherlands decided to take action to arm its F-35s. Therefore, the US once again becomes the main supplier of Dutch wishes, this time to supply Amsterdam with JASSM-ER missiles. These are air-to-surface missiles and also have the same range as the Tomahawk – 1,000 km. Again, in addition to Australia and the US, some European countries have already introduced the JASSM-ER into services, such as Germany, Finland, and Poland.