The Netherlands will acquire US and Israeli-made weapons to address military firepower requirements against long-distance threats.
The weapons are expected to increase the Dutch armed forces’ air defense and bunker-destroying capabilities.
“The war in Ukraine shows once again that fire support over short, medium, and long range is essential. This applies on land, from the air, and from the sea,” Netherlands Defense State Secretary Christophe van der Maat stated.
“With the new systems, the Ministry of Defense further substantiates NATO’s common combat power and deterrence. This shows that the Netherlands is taking responsibility by making a strong contribution to this.”
“In addition, the Netherlands thus meets the wish to possess its own rocket artillery and long-range weapon, as described in the Defense Policy Document 2022.”
PULS, Tomahawk, and JASSM-ER
The procurement covers an array of rocket artillery and long-range weapons to improve the performance of the country’s naval ships and F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft fleet.
The Dutch Army will obtain the Israeli Precise and Universal Launch System (PULS) for extended range, payload, and rapid target acquisition. The PULS will be the service’s first advanced rocket artillery in years.
Meanwhile, the country’s frigates and submarines will be equipped with the US-developed Tomahawk subsonic cruise missile. The Dutch Navy will be able to engage targets located over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and redirect aim after launch.
To complement the naval missile, the Dutch Army will receive Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) for its F-35s. The JASSM-ER’s range is similar to the subsonic cruise armament.