The German defense company Rheinmetall plans to establish repair facilities for German-made tanks and artillery in Ukraine, CEO Armin Papperger announced.

According to him, the company is currently working on a logistics route to ensure the efficient supply of spare parts to the repair center.

The facility will handle repairs for Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks, as well as German-made self-propelled artillery, including the Panzerhaubitze 2000.

According to Papperger, operations are expected to begin within the next few months.

Currently, German military equipment used by Ukraine is sent abroad for maintenance.

Lithuania has been responsible for repairing PzH 2000 howitzers at its Lithuania Defense Services (LDS) center, which was opened in June 2022 by Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks have also been serviced there in cooperation with the German defense industry.

In addition, Spain’s Santa Bárbara Sistemas has repaired Leopard 2A4 tanks for Ukraine, while Poland’s state-owned defense company PGZ announced in 2023 that it was prepared to service Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks.

Last year, Rheinmetall established the repair and maintenance of Marder infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.