- Rheinmetall’s Spanish subsidiary Expal Munitions will, once again, work with local defence supplier Escribano to submit a proposal for Spain’s future mobile rocket launcher
- The industrial partners had previously submitted a proposal using Israeli technology, which the Spanish government later rejected on humanitarian grounds last year
- Thus, the new concept will source components exclusively from Europe
Expal Munitions and Escribano – a Spanish industry partnership known as UTE SILAM – will rework their original proposal for a high mobility rocket launcher for the Spanish Army’s consideration.
The two partners – the former a subsidiary of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and the latter a defence engineering company in Madrid – originally won Spain’s SILAM contract in December 2023.
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PULS rejection
However, the team’s initial proposal incorporated the Israeli PULS launcher, built by Elbit Systems, which later prompted the Spanish government to revert its decision to procure the design in September 2025 following objections on humanitarian grounds related to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Forces are widely reported to have operated the PULS system extensively in Gaza. Yet this has not deterred other European militaries from buying the multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), such as Greece, whose Parliament allocated a budget for the weapon in December 2025.
Currently, Spain operate several self-propelled and towed artillery systems according to intelligence from analytics firm GlobalData, including M109 howitzer variants going back to 1970 and the 155mm APU SBT-1 system, the Iberian nation has not used an MLRS since it retired the Teruel in 2011.
Reworked proposal
In a press release today (14 January), Rheinmetall noted that UTE SILAM maintain “the goal of defining a viable Spanish solution in the shortest possible time” to make up for the delay.
The company also detailed its delivery remit: operational and test launchers, ammunition, reconnaissance and command post vehicles, training and guided rockets.
It should also be noted that the Rheinmetall emphasised a Spanish-built capability, if not a Spanish-designed solution. To this end, the future concept, which is still undefined, could feasibly leverage the GMARS model, combining Rheinmetall’s HX 8×8 tactical truck chassis with capabilities from Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS and M270 launcher technology. Notably, all these potential units are built in Europe even if the launchers are an American design.
In March 2024, prior to Spain’s cancellation of the PULS system, their Army Logistics Support Command had consulted closely with their Danish and Dutch counterparts; forces which already operate the Israeli MLRS. Gong forward, Spanish defence procurement officials may conduct a similar workshop session with other militaries on the continent as they look to acquire a European replacement in a timely manner.
Both Rheinmetall and the Spanish Army did not respond to a request for information regarding prospective systems before the time of publishing.
