The Dutch company Destinus, which supplies Ukraine with Ruta cruise missiles, has agreed to cooperate with the German defense company Helsing. The partners plan to establish a joint venture in Germany to produce missiles, but this raises questions about Destinus's previously announced cooperation with Rheinmetall. Defense Express reports this, citing Die Welt and hartpunkt, writes UNN.
Details
According to media reports, the new enterprise plans to manufacture cruise missiles whose characteristics will correspond to the Ruta Block 2 and Block 3. The German Ministry of Defense is already considering proposals for supplying them to the Bundeswehr.
Under the partnership, Destinus will be responsible for the missiles, engines, and production technologies, while Helsing will provide the software, control systems, and integration with German military systems.
Cooperation with Rheinmetall has been called into question
Earlier in 2026, Destinus and Rheinmetall announced their intention to establish the Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture. However, according to hartpunkt, the company has still not been found in German registries.
Neither manufacturer provided detailed explanations regarding the project's status. Destinus only stated that it was continuing negotiations on industrial cooperation.
Analysts suggest that Rheinmetall may remain a supplier of individual components, including warheads, even if joint missile production does not take place.
At the same time, Destinus seeks to join Germany's Deep Strike long-range weapons procurement program, under which the Bundeswehr is also considering Ukrainian Bars missiles.
It will be recalled that Ruta cruise missiles are already being supplied to Ukraine and are being used to strike targets on the territory of Russia. The Block 2 version has a stated range of up to 700 km and a 250 kg warhead. The prospective Block 3 is expected to have its range increased to 2,000 km.