Launch of 122 mm training rockets production in Germany

The new 122 mm training rocket from Diehl Defence and Elbit Systems Land was successfully fired several times from the MARS 3 rocket artillery launcher system (EuroPULS) in front of a large international expert audience during a live firing at the Altengrabow military training area. In the presence of military personnel and representatives of the respective procurement authorities as well as high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the rocket's compatibility with the German Armed Forces' new, future rocket artillery launcher system was demonstrated.

In order to meet the increased capability requirements for training rockets and the need for a market-ready solution, Diehl Defence, together with its Israeli cooperation partner Elbit Systems Land, has developed a new solution based on existing components that both meets current requirements and is integrated into the MARS 3 launcher system.

One of the special features of the new training rocket is the spotting charge warhead with a new type of propellant charge developed by Diehl Defence. This makes the rocket impact visible in the target area by means of visual and acoustic characteristics (bang, flash, smoke) without creating a fire hazard in the target area of the military training area. With the preliminary tests in Israel in 2025, the pre-firings in February 2026 and now the official firing in Altengrabow, the aerodynamic design of the rocket has been confirmed by the low error angles.

The first firing of a German training rocket at the Altengrabow military training area for over 30 years was a complete success in every respect. This event also marks the start of the reconstruction of artillery rocket production at Diehl Defence.

"The successful launch of the 122 mm training rocket, fired from MARS 3 at the Altengrabow military training area, is a milestone. It confirms the full compatibility between our training rockets and the launcher system and at the same time opens up new paths for artillery technology manufactured in Germany," says Gunnar Pappert, Senior Vice President Land Systems at Diehl Defence.