German military equipment manufacturer Rheinmetall is opening Europe's largest artillery shell production plant near Hanover on August 27. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
The foundation of the enterprise was laid in the presence of former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the beginning of 2024. On August 27, after a slight delay, the opening ceremony of the plant will take place, attended by the company's CEO Armin Papperger, German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, the country's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The enterprise was built in Unterlüß near Hanover. According to the plan, the plant will produce up to 350,000 shells per year after reaching full capacity in 2027. The enterprise will consist of two buildings. One of them will produce 155-mm artillery shells, and the other will produce equipment. Rheinmetall also plans to start producing rocket artillery at this plant from 2026.
According to the publication, the total investment in this project is about 500 million euros. It is specified that more than 500 jobs will be created at the site.
Additionally
Rheinmetall recently completed another major project in Germany. A plant was built in Weeze, near the border with the Netherlands. The enterprise manufactures central fuselage sections for the F-35 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin Corp.
Also, the company's CEO Armin Papperger announced the construction of an ammunition production plant in Bulgaria. Moreover, the manufacturer has enterprises in Spain and Hungary. A plant is also being built in Lithuania, and negotiations are underway with the government of Latvia.
Recall
Rheinmetall plans to build an ammunition production plant in Ukraine. In August, Papperger announced that the project was temporarily postponed due to bureaucratic red tape.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on August 13 held a phone conversation with the company's CEO. According to him, a joint project for the construction of an artillery shell production plant was discussed. Shmyhal explained that cooperation with Rheinmetall covers armored vehicles, ammunition, and air defense.