A Spanish-led industrial team comprising EM&E Group and Rheinmetall’s Spanish subsidiary, Rheinmetall Expal Munitions, has proposed a nationally developed rocket artillery solution to replace the canceled SILAM multiple launch rocket system program. The proposal was formally submitted to the Spanish Ministry of Defence as an indigenous alternative to foreign-supplied systems.
The move comes after Spain scrapped a €697 million contract with Israel’s Elbit Systems in 2023, following political backlash tied to developments in the Middle East. That agreement, which centered on Elbit’s PULS rocket launcher, was intended to close a long-standing capability gap created by the retirement of Spain’s Teruel MRL in 2011.
Under the new proposal, the EM&E–Rheinmetall team outlined a step-by-step development roadmap that includes operational and test launch vehicles, compatible ammunition, reconnaissance platforms, and command-and-control elements. The program would also oversee the design, testing, and certification of training and guided rockets, ensuring compliance with Spanish Armed Forces requirements.
Embedded within Spain’s broader defense industrial strategy, the initiative aims to boost domestic manufacturing, secure supply chains, and technological innovation, while supporting EU and NATO defense objectives. While technical specifications have not yet been released, the system is expected to benefit from Rheinmetall’s work on GMARS, a platform designed to fire combat-proven munitions such as MLRS rockets, Precision Strike Missiles, and ATACMS, offering Spain a modern and scalable rocket artillery capability.
