Rheinmetall to build a new plant in Germany to produce ammunition for Germany and Ukraine
German defense giant Rheinmetall will build a new ammunition plant to ensure uninterrupted supplies to Ukraine.
The head of the German concern, Armin Papperger, told BILD.
In response to the German federal government’s accusations of insufficient support for Ukraine, Papperger emphasized the good cooperation between the government and the arms industry.
“A lot has changed for the better in military procurement. Last year, Rheinmetall alone received orders or framework agreements from the federal government worth more than €10 billion for the Bundeswehr and Ukraine. This year, this amount will increase to at least 15 billion,” said the Rheinmetall CEO.
Papperger also said that the concern is building a new plant to fulfill the contracts and ensure uninterrupted supply of ammunition on time.
“The pace is fast: what would have taken ten years before is now achieved in a few months. Now we will build a new ammunition plant in Germany in record time to create strategic security of supply,” he said.
Apart from the location, he did not provide any other details about this project, so the timing of the opening and start of the enterprise remains unknown.
Increasing the supply of ammunition
On January 28, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that an additional contract for the supply of ammunition would be signed in the new year.
“We have signed new framework contracts for more than 200,000 additional artillery munitions this year alone,” Pistorius said.
He also noted that the federal government depends on the arms industry for ammunition supplies.
“The industry is trying incredibly hard, but it is still in pre-war mode. Obviously, it’s not that simple.”
To increase supplies last year, Rheinmetall expanded its existing production lines and acquired Spanish manufacturer Expal Systems. The concern plans to produce 700,000 155-mm artillery shells by the end of the year.
