For the first time in recent years, a Bundeswehr procurement project failed to pass the German parliament’s budget committee. The committee rejected the MAUS (Mobile Intelligence Support System) project from Rohde Schwarz, valued at approximately €600 million and intended to purchase up to 90 electronic warfare systems to replace similar HUMMEL systems. The Bundestag explained its rejection to the Defense Network portal:
The options presented to us are outdated because they do not take into account the lessons learned from the war in the East. There is no point in sending an electronic warfare vehicle with weak protection to the front lines.
As stated, armored vehicles are needed to protect troops, “a larger vehicle that also has a longer range to suppress and detect threats.”
Members of parliament also pointed to a lack of trust in Rohde Schwarz, which recently failed to comply with the DLBO (disclosure of information on contractors) requirements imposed by politicians.
HUMMEL:
The Bundeswehr currently uses the HUMMEL mobile active jamming station, mounted on the FUCHS 6×6 armored personnel carrier chassis. It first entered service in 1983 and is now part of the electronic warfare battalions of armored units. It has a crew of four. It operates in the 20–500 MHz (VHF/VHF/UHF) frequency range. This is the range of most tactical radios, portable radios, and some drone control channels.
HUMMEL:
The station can deploy both targeted jamming, which suppresses a specific frequency, and barrage jamming, which floods a wide range of frequencies with noise, thereby disrupting all communications within the operating area. Modern modifications (Hummel EloKa) are capable of automatically detecting signals, analyzing their type, and instantly selecting the optimal jamming method.
HUMMEL’s primary mission in combat is to “blind” enemy headquarters, preventing them from transmitting orders and receiving reports from units. The system can provide partial protection against UAVs, but a more advanced system is required.
Deputies indicated that HUMMEL needs a replacement, “but not in the proposed configuration.” Therefore, the Ministry of Defense was instructed to initiate a new tender for a “comparable but better protected system.” Competitors Hensoldt and Plath are expected to participate in the competition.
