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German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has announced another order from the Bundeswehr for the supply of over 150,000 artillery munitions, with the intention of delivering them to Ukraine.
The company made this announcement on its website.
This order marks the third within the framework agreement for the supply of 155mm artillery munitions that Rheinmetall entered into in July. The agreement, which will run until 2029, foresees a potential value of around €1.2 billion.
According to the current order, Rheinmetall is set to deliver over 100,000 155mm shells, along with additional fragmentation and high-explosive shells of the DM 121 variety.
While the German government is the client, Rheinmetall specifies that all munitions are intended for Ukraine. The company added that the first “tens of thousands” of rounds will be manufactured by the end of this year, with the rest to be completed in 2024.
The cost of the order has not been disclosed, but Rheinmetall states it falls within the “hundreds of millions of euros on average.”
Last week, the German arms manufacturer received a substantial order for artillery munitions following the second tender within the framework contract with the German government.
Before this, it became known that Rheinmetall obtained approval for the creation of a joint venture with the Ukrainian defence industry conglomerate “Ukroboronprom.”
The enterprise will be based in Kyiv and will be involved in servicing and technical maintenance, as well as assembly, production, and development of military transport equipment. Initially, the collaboration will focus on technical maintenance and repair of equipment received by Ukraine from Germany and other partners. In the future, joint production of specific defence products in Ukraine is planned.
Recall that on March 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Kyiv with a delegation from the Rheinmetall Group, led by CEO Armin Papperger. Later, “Ukroboronprom” signed a strategic partnership agreement with the German conglomerate. In May, Papperger announced that factory workers would build and repair armoured Rheinmetall Fuchs vehicles under licence at the new plant.
The German company expects to sign contracts for the establishment of two more joint ventures – one for the production of munitions and another for air defence systems.
Rheinmetall is one of the world’s largest defence conglomerates, producing weapons for the Bundeswehr and serving as the primary supplier of 120mm tank ammunition for the German armed forces.
