Director of SIBAT, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas and his Dutch counterpart, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, Lt. Gen. M.H. (Martin) Wijnen sign the deal – Credit: Netherlands Ministry of Defense
In the first deal of its kind between the two nations, Israel signed a $305 million agreement with the government of Holland to sell the country PULS Rocket Artillery rocket systems from Israel’s defense contractor Elibit Systems for use by the Royal Netherlands Army. Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant approved the agreement led by Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir that was signed Wednesday in the Netherlands.
The new contract will be carried out over a five year period.
This deal was sealed on the same day that Israel transferred two M–346 training aircraft to the Greek Hellenic Air Force as part of a defense cooperation agreement between Greece and Israel. The two M–346s are the first of 10 aircraft expected under the Government-to-Government agreement between the Hellenic and Israeli Defense Ministries, with Israel’s defense corporation Elbit Systems undertaking the creation of an International Flight Training Center at 120 ΑΤW Kalamata.
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This is the first government to government (GTG) defense exports agreement signed between Israel and the Netherlands, and one of the largest agreements signed between Israel and a European country in the past years.
Under the contract, Elbit Systems will supply 20 PULS artillery rocket systems integrated on the COMMIT (previously DMO) selected truck platform, as well as rockets and missile of various ranges and training and support services. Elbit boasts that PULS provides a comprehensive, cost effective solution, supporting the firing of both free-flying rockets and precision guided rockets and missiles ranging from 12km and up to 300km. The PULS launcher is a fully adaptable launching system and can be mounted on a broad range of wheeled and tracked platforms, providing a significant reduction in maintenance and training costs for legacy fleets.
Director of SIBAT (The International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense) Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas said, “It is an honor for me to lead the first Government to Government defense contract with the Netherlands for the PULS long-range precise rocket artillery system. This significant event symbolizes the strategic relationship between our countries and constitutes an opportunity to strengthen our partnership based on mutual values and morals. I wish us all, the Netherlands Ministry of Defense, Elbit Systems, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense, fruitful and successful cooperation.”
Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, said, “I thank the Ministries of Defense of Israel and the Netherlands on this groundbreaking agreement. The acquisition of Elbit Systems’ PULS solution will enhance the Royal Netherland Army’s ability to provide effective indirect fire support. It will also provide interoperability with NATO customers that have acquired these systems. This contract further validates Elbit Systems’ cutting edge military technologies and our strong partnerships with NATO countries across Europe.”
