Diehl Defence and Elbit Systems Land have successfully launched production of a new 122mm training rocket for the German Armed Forces. The rocket was fired multiple times from the MARS 3 rocket artillery launcher system (EuroPULS) at the Altengrabow military training area before an international expert audience, including military personnel, procurement authorities, and high-ranking Ministry of Defence representatives.
The new training rocket features a spotting charge warhead with a novel propellant charge developed by Diehl Defence. This design makes the rocket impact visible through visual and acoustic effects—bang, flash, and smoke—without creating a fire hazard in the training area. Preliminary tests in Israel (2025), pre-firings in February 2026, and the official Altengrabow firing have confirmed the rocket’s aerodynamic design with low error angles.
This event marks the first firing of a German training rocket at Altengrabow in over 30 years and signals the reconstruction of artillery rocket production at Diehl Defence. Gunnar Pappert, Senior Vice President Land Systems at Diehl Defence, called the successful launch a milestone, confirming full compatibility between the training rockets and the launcher system while opening new paths for German-made artillery technology.
Keywords: Diehl Defence, Elbit Systems Land, 122mm training rockets, MARS 3 launcher, German Armed Forces, artillery rocket production, spotting charge warhead, Altengrabow, EuroPULS, military training ammunition
