Denmark Begins Rocket Production to Sustain 122 mm Rockets for Future GMARS Launcher Options.

Denmark has approved a new industrial project that will establish domestic production of military rockets at a secured former air base in Vandel, marking a shift from ammunition buyer to producer. The move is aimed at easing Europe’s rocket artillery shortage while helping sustain Ukraine’s high consumption of 122 mm munitions on the battlefield.

Denmark is taking a decisive step into rocket artillery manufacturing as part of Europe’s broader rearmament push, approving a new production facility that will manufacture military rockets domestically for the first time. According to reporting by Danish broadcaster TV 2, the project, led by SkyPro Propulsion, will establish production lines at the former Vandel Air Base in Jutland, a secured site with legacy NATO infrastructure, with manufacturing expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Denmark is launching domestic production of 122 mm artillery rockets at its Vandel facility to strengthen European rearmament and sustain Ukraine's rocket artillery, supporting both legacy launchers and modern systems such as PULS while reducing Europe's dependance on external ammunition suppliers (Picture source: EDePro).

Danish media reporting based on Ritzau and company statements says the initial output will focus on 122 mm artillery rockets, alongside smaller rockets intended to counter drones, with the broader production ambition extending to rockets up to 400 mm in diameter as the industrial base matures. The site selected for the program is not accidental. Vandel’s Defence Valley complex includes legacy NATO infrastructure, secured storage, and facilities originally designed for explosive ordnance handling, enabling faster ramp-up than a greenfield build. Around 110 employees are expected to be recruited as production lines are installed, with manufacturing targeted to begin in the second half of 2026.

On the ammunition side, the key product is the 122 mm class that dominates the Soviet legacy multiple launch rocket system ecosystem. Several reports indicate SkyPro is preparing to manufacture Serbia’s EDePro-designed G-2000 family under license, including the extended range G-2000SL+ variant. EDePro describes the baseline G-2000 as an upgraded evolution of the 122 mm GRAD rocket, with a field-proven maximum range of 40.2 km and a stated circular error probable under 1 percent of firing distance, achieved through an updated rocket motor design. The company also notes that the G-2000SL series integrates higher efficiency high-explosive warheads, with G-2000SL extending to 46 km and the SL+ pairing a more efficient warhead with a 41 km reach, improving lethality while staying compatible with existing 122 mm launchers.

That compatibility point matters operationally. Ukraine still fields large numbers of 122 mm launchers and their derivatives, including the BM-21 Grad family and related systems supplied or refurbished by European partners. For Ukrainian artillerymen, 122 mm rockets remain a workhorse for suppressive fire, trench line disruption, and area saturation against infantry concentrations, logistics nodes, and staging areas. Extended range 122 mm rockets shift that fight outward, pushing launch positions farther from counterbattery threats while keeping the same launcher fleets relevant. In a war where tubes and launchers can be replaced, but ammunition pipelines decide tempo, a European located 122 mm line is immediately usable in Ukraine without retraining or platform conversion.

Denmark’s own relevance is tied to its Elbit PULS multiple rocket launcher acquisition, which Copenhagen selected to rebuild national rocket artillery. PULS is a modular system built around sealed pods and digital fire control, designed to deliver rapid shoot and scoot fires and to scale from shorter range 122 mm class rockets to long range precision strike munitions. In a 2023 interview, Elbit’s land division leadership described PULS as a truck-mounted launcher capable of firing different rocket types out to 300 km, with the company’s brochure data citing Accular 122 mm rockets to 35 km, Accular 160 mm to 40 km, EXTRA to 150 km, and Predator Hawk to 300 km. This spectrum illustrates why European armies are buying launchers like PULS while simultaneously scrambling for affordable rockets for training, massed fires, and sustained combat.

The political meaning of Denmark producing more rockets is therefore straightforward. Europe is trying to rearm while also donating at wartime rates, and rocket artillery ammunition has been a persistent bottleneck. Danish industry leaders have framed the Vandel project as a step change in resilience, explicitly arguing that Europe needs production capacity well above prewar planning assumptions. SkyPro’s management has also stressed supply chain sovereignty, saying it will prioritize Danish suppliers and EU-based components once production is implemented, with an emphasis on traceability and reduced dependence on deliveries from outside the EU.

For Ukraine, the significance is just as concrete. Copenhagen has not publicly confirmed a specific transfer schedule for newly produced 122 mm rockets, and Denmark’s defense minister has cautioned that it is too early to say whether Danish forces will themselves be a customer at first. Still, Danish reporting and Ukrainian defense media coverage have consistently interpreted the industrial push through the lens of Ukraine support: build European stock, then send what can be spared east. In practical terms, every additional European 122 mm rocket produced is one less round Ukraine must source from dwindling global inventories, and one more round that can arrive with shorter logistics lines, predictable quality control, and fewer political chokepoints.