The capacity of the Rheinmetall plant in Ukraine, the construction of which is to be completed in 2026, will significantly exceed the planned amount.
This was stated by the CEO of the German defense group Armin Papperger in an interview with Handelsblatt.
"Initially, production of 150,000 shells per year was planned, but we will significantly increase this number," said Papperger.
The head of Rheinmetall mentioned the words of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that in peacetime Ukraine would need 1.5 million artillery shells per year.
"Currently, Rheinmetall is capable of producing about 750,000 shells. Therefore, we cannot cover the entire need on our own. We will increase our total production to 1.5 million shells. However, we supply these shells not only to Ukraine, but also to other European countries, primarily Germany," noted Papperger.
According to him, the company has already planned to increase production at the plant in Unterlüß (Lower Saxony).
"Instead of 200,000 shells, we will be able to produce up to 350,000 artillery shells there. We have invested a total of around 600 million euros in the facility," said the CEO of Rheinmetall.
Papperger believes that the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine will not affect the course of the war in any way. In his opinion, Ukraine primarily needs artillery shells — only with them can the Defense Forces hold back the Russian occupation troops.
- In June 2024, Ukroboronprom and Rheinmetall opened their first joint venture, which will deal with the repair and production of armored vehicles.
- In July, Rheinmetall officially received an order from Ukraine for the construction of a munitions plant.
- The group is building 10 plants around the world, including in Romania, Hungary, and Lithuania.
