Representatives of the German defense concern Rheinmetall spoke about the pace of opening enterprises for the production of ammunition, armored vehicles and air defense equipment in Ukraine.

The company told Ekonomichna Pravda about the details of the production launch.

Journalists of the Ukrainian edition were told at Rheinmetall’s headquarters that the company was working on opening three new Rheinmetall enterprises that would specialize in the production and repair of air defense systems, repair and assembly of armored vehicles, and production of ammunition.

Rheinmetall noted that personnel for the new plants were being trained in Germany. The first employees have already returned to Ukraine. A base for further training of Ukrainians is being prepared.

The most important of the new facilities will be the 155-mm ammunition plant, where Rheinmetall will produce six-digit numbers of finished rounds per year. However, the first German shells will not roll off the assembly line soon.

“We are currently working on agreements to establish a joint venture and order equipment. This will be followed by the production of equipment, construction of the plant, infrastructure, and, ultimately, the production of ammunition. Typically, such projects take 3-4 years to implement. But we will try to accelerate the timeline,” Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhii Boiev told the publication.

The company will also produce the most scarce component for ammunition – powder charges – in Ukraine. This will be the first such enterprise in the country, as there are currently no enterprises producing gunpowder.

Production of armored vehicles

An armored vehicle company was launched in Ukraine, which Rheinmetall deployed on the basis of the existing facilities of Ukroboronprom. In June, a German workshop for the repair of Marder IFVs and Leopard 1 tanks was launched.

In addition, the German concern also plans to launch the production of its own armored vehicles, including Fuchs wheeled armored personnel carriers and KF-41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles.

According to Boiev, first, Ukraine will set up the assembly of vehicles from imported components. Later, Ukroboronprom enterprises can learn to produce parts of these armored vehicles and deepen localization. The emergence of regional modifications with Ukrainian equipment on board is also possible.

“The depth of localization depends on Ukrainian capabilities and the willingness of the Germans to transfer critical technologies. The deeper the localization, the cheaper the equipment will be. The difference in cost between machines assembled from imported components and those fully manufactured in Ukraine can be up to two times higher,” said Boiev.

The specialized enterprise for the production and maintenance of air defense systems is still at the planning stage. According to the Rheinmetall CEO, it will take another year or two before it becomes operational.

Rheinmetall is the manufacturer of the Skyranger and Skynex 35-mm air defense systems already in use by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.