Germany’s Rheinmetall unveils new plant for artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall, the largest weapon manufacturer in Germany, inaugurated on Wednesday a new artillery ammunition factory, because it aims to consolidate its position as a first Western manufacturer of 155 million shells.

The company plans to gradually increase the production of caliber towers by 155 million to 350,000 per year by 2027, said the director general of Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, during the inauguration ceremony.

The event, in the village of Untterlüss, in the lower Saxony, was followed by the Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, the Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil and the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte. Papperger made them a visit to the establishment.

Here and in other factories where production is increasing, Rheinmetall aims to reach an annual production of 1.5 million laps by 2027, or about double the current amount.

This expansion would consolidate the position of the company based in Dusseldorf as the main supplier of the artillery munitions necessary for the war effort in Ukraine.

Rheinmetall has invested around 500 million euros ($ 580 million) in the new installation and a separate factory for Rocket Motors which is expected to start next year.

Rheinmetall has long been present on its Unterlüss site, where the weapon manufacturer already had a relatively small production area for artillery ammunition, as well as other activities, such as the production of the Puma infantry combat vehicle and a one -kilometer range.

The demand for these ammunition has increased since the start of the Ukrainian war in 2022, and Rheinmetall is one of the main suppliers of Ukraine, while he defends himself against Russian aggression.