The Rheinmetall ammunition plant in Ukraine, the construction of which was announced in February 2024, will start operating in 2026.
Rheinmetall AG CEO Armin Papperger stated this in an interview with DW, Ekonomichna Pravda reports.
"We are building factories faster in Germany than in Ukraine. The reason is that bureaucratic barriers in Germany have been practically eliminated. For example, for the F-35 component production plant and the largest ammunition production plant in Europe in Lower Saxony, we received permits in just a few weeks. In Ukraine, the process is still slower. However, in general, cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry of Ukraine is developing well. In addition, the President of Ukraine is active in making decisions and is promoting progress," Papperger said.
"We decided to create a company with a 51% stake in Rheinmetall, which was previously impossible in Ukraine - state-owned enterprises had to own a controlling stake. But I said that I would invest only if we had a controlling stake. This process took several months.
Nevertheless, we are satisfied with the cooperation. The first to start operating was a plant for repairing equipment, now an ammunition production plant is being built, and thirdly we would like to build a plant for the production of anti-aircraft systems. The ammunition production plant will start operating only in 2026. As I said, we had delays," added the head of the German defense concern.
When asked how the war affects production processes, he replied: "Practically not at all, we are not on the front line. The main fighting is taking place there. Yes, there are missile strikes, you know that better than me. But you can prepare for this. It does not affect the production itself."
Papperger was also asked whether Rheinmetall would be ready to invest even more actively in Ukraine if the war ends this year. "We keep our word. Our strategy is to build three factories in Ukraine, and this does not depend on whether there is a war or not," he replied.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in early June 2024, a Rheinmetall enterprise for the production and repair of armored vehicles began operating in Ukraine.
The German defense concern Rheinmetall will soon complete the construction of a second military enterprise in Ukraine.
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