The company was opened as part of a partnership between a Ukrainian concern and a global defense giant.
Currently, the main purpose of the new site is to repair military equipment developed by the German concern Rheinmetall.
The opening of the shop will speed up the restoration of combat vehicles and their return to the front line, and will subsequently allow Ukrainian gunsmiths to produce new equipment for the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine.
“We strive to develop our production capabilities together with our allies and believe that Ukrainian defense is part of the European defense industry, which strengthens the EU’s collective security system. Therefore, the opening of a joint production site with Rheinmetall is not only a step towards Ukraine’s victory, but also an important stage in building the Arsenal of the Free World,” said Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.
Opening of the repair shop Photo: JSC “Ukrainian Defense Industry”
“The opening of the first joint service center with Rheinmetall in Ukraine is extremely important for strengthening our defense capabilities. It will allow us to provide fast repair and maintenance of German equipment directly on the territory of Ukraine, which will significantly increase the efficiency of our Armed Forces. We are grateful to our German partners for their trust and support, which allow us to move confidently towards victory and integrate into the European collective security system,” said Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Dmytro Klimenkov.
Ukrainian specialists work at the open joint production site, while representatives of the German partner provide technical supervision.
“The development of partnership with such a leading global arms manufacturer as Rheinmetall demonstrates the high degree of trust that Ukroboronprom has gained from its Western colleagues. This trust is the result of hard work to develop the competencies of our weapons manufacturers, implementation of corporate governance reform and successful work on building anti-corruption infrastructure. All of this together makes the Company and its enterprises competitive, transparent and attractive to foreign partners,” said David Lomdzharia, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC.
“This project, implemented as part of a large program of cooperation with Rheinmetall, creates new opportunities for our defenders who will receive equipment for combat as quickly as possible after repair and maintenance. It is important that this is happening in Ukraine: foreign partners are confident in us, our professionalism and the high potential of the domestic defense industry.
I am grateful to the management of the German concern for the fruitful cooperation that allowed us to equip and open a joint production site in a short time,” said UOP Director General Herman Smetanin.
Opening of the repair shop Photo: JSC “Ukrainian Defence Industry
“It is very important for us to provide efficient and reliable support to Ukraine. When it comes to the supply of spare parts, our top priority is to ensure maximum availability and fast replenishment of stocks. To achieve this goal, we use existing channels of original manufacturers, process the material ourselves and with partners. We are also restoring original supply chains and integrating local production in Ukraine,” says Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG.
In October 2023, the German defense concern Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian defense industry JSC established a joint venture, RHEINMETALL UDI LLC (RHEINMETALL UKRAINIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY LLC), to repair Western equipment and eventually build new equipment.
