U.S. has again refused Germany to integrate their missiles from HIMARS and M270 MLRS into European launchers. Such an answer has been sounding for three years now and threatens compatibility between different NATO members.
As Euractiv reports, we're talking about adapting GMLRS, which are currently available in Bundeswehr warehouses for MARS II, a local variant of M270, to German-Israeli EuroPULS. However, Germany's Ministry of Defense claims that the decision is not yet final.
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Exact reasons for refusal are not currently reported, but various assumptions are sounding. So, Americans may fear that integrating fire control software could expose operating principles of the most modern missiles from their arsenal, such as ATACMS' successor PrSM.
Germany's defense department notes that theoretically, to bypass this problem, the U.S. could provide a new software solution. However, it's unknown how difficult this is to do and whether they will take such a step at all.
Defense Express notes that the refusal is quite logical from the point of view of arms sales. So, integrating GMLRS into European launchers could open an additional opportunity for developing local alternatives instead of purchasing from the U.S.
That is, if Europe adopts its own MLRS, it will almost certainly not have access to American missiles. Therefore, it will be necessary to either break unification or buy M142 HIMARS, as Poles, Romanians, Baltics, and others do.
Regarding technologies, PrSM appeared only recently, so in theory, previous software versions will not include them. However, even so, it's possible to find some features of the system's operation as a whole that will give at least some information about new missiles, because even GMLRS were not integrated anywhere except developments with the U.S.
As a result, Germany remains with five EuroPULS, which are not very popularized in Europe, especially against the backdrop of Norways desire to take K239 Chunmoo and refusal of Israeli armament in Spain. The only salvation remains that a final successor to MARS II has not yet been chosen, so there will be time to think and make a final decision.
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