The German arms maker Rheinmetall will deploy production facilities for the production of armored vehicles in Ukraine within the following 12 weeks.

The company’s CEO Armin Papperger made the announcement in an interview with CNN.

In addition to the deployment of the enterprise, the company will also train Ukrainian specialists to service tanks and other armored vehicles manufactured at the plant.

According to Papperger, the new plant will operate in the western part of Ukraine.

“[Ukrainians] have to help themselves — if they always have to wait [for] Europeans or Americans [to] help them over the next 10 or 20 years… that is not possible,” he said.

At the beginning of this year, the company announced that the cost of the planned battle tank factory was €200 million, and its design capacity would allow the production of about 400 tanks a year.

Rheinmetall will operate the plant in partnership with the Ukroboronprom State Concern, for which the parties have signed a strategic partnership agreement.

When asked if he was afraid to open production in Ukraine in view of Russian missile strikes, Armin Papperger replied: “Ukraine has effective defenses against attacks on sensitive targets, mainly thanks to Western aid. Power plants and other industrial enterprises are also working and in case of damage they are repaired immediately.”

Armored vehicles production

In May, Papperger said that factory workers would build and repair Rheinmetall Fuchs armored personnel carriers under license at the new plant.

“We will start with vehicle maintenance and repair and want to produce armored vehicles as soon as possible, such as Fuchs armored personnel carriers,” he said.

According to him, Ukraine is also interested in modern Panther main battle tank and Lynx armoured fighting vehicle.

“But the first step is to provide the urgent needs of the country in its struggle,” said the CEO of Rheinmetall.