Ukraine’s Rheinmetall Ammo Plant Could Be Operational in 12–14 Months

The Rheinmetall ammunition plant in Ukraine is expected to be ready within 12–14 months, provided all necessary conditions are met.

Armin Papperger, CEO of the German Rheinmetall Group, stated this in an interview with DW.

“First and foremost, we need a plan to build everything. The civilian part is not ready. I believe the Minister will take care of it and make it happen, and then the ammunition factory should be ready within 12-14 months,” he said.

“Before we started planning in Unterlüß, we were already planning in Ukraine. But in Ukraine, we are still not ready. Let me put it this way: we can do better,” he said.

In July 2024, it was announced that the German defense company Rheinmetall had received an order from the Ukrainian government to construct an ammunition factory.

Initially, the plan was to have the capacity to produce 150,000 to 155,000 155-mm shells per year; however, the company intends to build enough capacity to manufacture up to 300,000 155mm shells.

Meanwhile, Papperger noted that despite these plans, Ukraine lacks the funds to implement such an increase in production. The fulfillment of these plans will likely depend on funding from partner countries.