The news went by almost unnoticed. While newspapers wrote about the Afsluitdijk and news channels focused mainly on the image of a PULS launch vehicle firing rockets, remarkably little was written about the Predator Hawk. This is the largest missile the PULS system can fire — and it is also the first ballistic missile the Royal Netherlands Army has ever had.
Because somewhere in that technical coverage was a sentence that is actually much more important than it seems at first glance: the Netherlands is getting the Predator Hawk. And that is no ordinary missile. It is a tactical ballistic precision missile with a range of 300 kilometres, a supersonic flight and a precision that fits modern long-range warfare. The Royal Netherlands Army is not buying very many in this batch, but as long as Defence keeps getting extra money, it will not be long before more are ordered. That is not illogical: in Ukraine we see every day how great the need is for this kind of weapon.
What makes it extra special: Ukraine is currently using the American counterpart of this type of ballistic missile — the ATACMS. The results are clear. Russian radars and air defence systems have great difficulty intercepting these supersonic ballistic trajectories. Especially when such missiles are fired in salvos, systems such as the S-300 and S-400 prove far from infallible. It underlines how valuable this capability is in modern warfare.
Photo: photostock.az. Here the Predator Hawk missiles are shown on Azerbaijan’s PULS rocket systems
More than just “a new rocket system”
Most people now understand what PULS is: a flexible launch system that can use different types of munitions. But what exactly you can fire with it remained abstract in much of the coverage. The Predator Hawk is not a “long-range rocket” or “projectile”, as it was sometimes cautiously described, but a fully fledged ballistic missile. A type of weapon normally associated with major military powers — not with the Netherlands.
And yet the Royal Netherlands Army is getting that capability.
For an armed force that traditionally focused mainly on light deployments, peace missions and relatively short-range fire, that is a considerable step.
A historical look back
To understand the impact, it is good to look back. In 2004 the Netherlands got rid of the M270 MLRS. With it, our ability to strike targets at long range from land disappeared. From then on, virtually all deep fire had to come from aircraft such as the F-16 and later the F-35.
With PULS, long-range fire returns. But with Predator Hawk comes a level the Royal Netherlands Army has never had before: the ability to take out targets up to 300 kilometres away from safe positions with high precision and speed. Think of ammunition depots, radars, command posts and logistics centres.
And all that with a deviation of less than ten metres.
image Elbit Systems
A quiet modernisation
So why did this receive so little attention? That partly has to do with the way the Ministry of Defence communicates. Documents often remain technical and cautious. The term “ballistic” is hardly used, while that is precisely what makes the biggest difference.
The image of a ballistic missile also does not really fit how many Dutch people see the army: small, specialised and mainly focused on stability and defence. But reality is changing. Not towards an aggressive armed force, but towards a modern one that can operate in a conflict where distances and reaction times are increasingly decisive.
What experts and the supplier say
According to Elbit Systems, the manufacturer, the Predator Hawk was developed for “deep precision strikes” against high-value targets in heavily defended areas. Experts describe the missile as a serious game-changer for small to medium-sized countries, precisely because it bridges the gap between artillery and air power.
Analysts stress that the missile is difficult to intercept because of its supersonic flight, high apogee and relatively flat ballistic trajectory. The time between launch and impact is also short — comparable to the American ATACMS — which puts enemy defences under even more pressure.
What the Predator Hawk adds
The Predator Hawk mainly brings two things:
1. Speed
The missile flies supersonically and covers in minutes distances that previously could only be reached by combat aircraft. That makes it harder for an opponent to react.
2. Precision at long range
With an accuracy of less than ten metres, the army will soon be able to hit strategic targets without major collateral damage. That is relevant in a Europe where conflicts increasingly revolve around logistics hubs and responding quickly to enemy capabilities.
A change bigger than it seems
With the Predator Hawk, the Netherlands enters a category of long-range fire that was missing until now. Not a massive capability, but a targeted and modern one. And that means the Netherlands, together with a few other European countries, will soon be able to keep up again in the development towards long-range precision fires — one of the most important domains of modern warfare.
