Rheinmetall to open armored vehicle production plant in Ukraine in three months

That's according to CNN, Ukrinform reports.

The plant will be located in the western part of Ukraine, said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger.

The company will also train Ukrainians to maintain tanks and other armored vehicles manufactured at the plant. According to the CEO, the new plant will build and repair Rheinmetall Fuchs armored personnel carriers under license.

“[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,” Papperger said.

Rheinmetall (RNMBF) will operate the plant in partnership with Ukroboronprom, which will also own the enterprise. In May, the two companies announced an agreement to increase Ukraine's defense technology capabilities.

Papperger added that the plant will be protected from Russian attacks.

“There are a lot of factories at the moment which are producing military goods [in Ukraine]. It is just another one — and we can protect that also,” he said.

According to him, next year Rheinmetall will increase its annual production of artillery shells from 100,000 to 600,000, and a significant part of this additional production will be earmarked for deliveries to Ukraine.

Papperger noted that Rheinmetall could theoretically supply 60% of Ukraine's demand for artillery ammunition.

As reported, by order of the German government, the defense concern Rheinmetall will send another 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in the summer.

Photo: DPA