First PULS MRL arrives in Netherlands

The Netherlands has received the first of 20 PULS MRLs it ordered on 17 May 2023. (Elbit Systems)

The first of 20 Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) ordered by the Netherlands on 17 May 2023 has arrived in the country and will be presented to the local media in May, Janes has learnt.

The systems were ordered under an agreement between the Israeli and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs). Under a USD305 million contract, Elbit Systems is supplying the MRLs as well rockets and missiles of various ranges and is providing training and support services. The MRLs will be integrated into Dutch-produced Scania Gryphus 8×8 trucks selected by the Netherlands' Materiel and IT Command (Commando Materieel en IT: COMMIT), formerly known as the Defence Materiel Organisation.

Delivery of the first PULS will allow training to begin and operations to be conducted during the first phase. This will be followed by a second phase with engineering for the full rate production version. Serial production is planned for 2025–26, with assembly of PULS launcher systems on Scania Gryphus 8×8 trucks with armoured cabins.

The Dutch MoD operates several hundred of these trucks and expects using the same family of vehicles to control operating costs and simplify maintenance. During this second phase, national command-and-control (C2) systems using a secure gateway will be connected to the PULS fire-control system (FCS).