More MARS II for the Bundeswehr

On December 5, 2018, representatives of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG (KMW) signed a contract for the conversion of another 18 MARS rocket launchers to MARS II.

With this conversion, the rocket launchers will have the capability to launch GPS-guided M31 Unitary rockets as part of the European Fire Control System (EFCS). In addition to improved accuracy in targeting, the rocket has an increased range of 75 km. Each launcher will also be equipped with new electric aiming drives and a fire extinguishing system. The rocket launcher has two launch containers, each containing six rockets that can be fired in less than a minute.

The MARS rocket launcher was developed in the 1980s as part of the international MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) program, jointly by the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy. The MARS system was introduced into the Bundeswehr in 1990. In a first batch, the conversions of the first rocket launchers to the MARS II standard were carried out by 2013. With this contract, the full equipment of the artillery with this system is completed.

With approval from the Defence and Budget Committees and today's contract signing, both sides will begin implementation. The conversion of another 18 rocket launchers will be completed by 2022. "With the contract signing, the path to fully equip the artillery units with the Medium Artillery Rocket System (MARS) II is paved," said Michael Krein, Technical Government Director and project leader.

The BAAINBw on the internet: www.baainbw.de