The construction of the Rheinmetall plant in Ukraine is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and its capacity should significantly exceed the planned one.
The German defence company's CEO Armin Papperger said this in an interview with Handelsblatt, LIGA.net reports.
According to Papperger, it was originally planned to produce 150,000 shells a year, but now it is planned to increase the number of ammunition.
The head of Rheinmetall stressed that Ukraine needs 1.5 million artillery shells a year in peacetime.
‘Rheinmetall is currently capable of producing about 750,000 shells. So we cannot cover the entire demand on our own. We will increase our total production to 1.5 million shells. However, we are supplying these shells not only to Ukraine but also to other European countries, primarily Germany,’ Papperger said.
The defence concern has already planned to increase production at its Unterluss plant in Lower Saxony.
‘Instead of 200,000 shells, we will be able to produce up to 350,000 artillery shells there. For this purpose, we have invested a total of around €600 million in the plant,’ says the Rheinmetall CEO.
Papperger also believes that the supply of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine will not affect the course of the war. He emphasises that Ukraine primarily needs artillery shells: only with these can the Defence Forces deter the Russian occupation forces.
- The future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports the supply of TAURUS missiles to Kyiv, if the partners agree. The UK will support Merz if a decision is made to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.