Switzerland’s no to the delivery of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine angers Berlin. Rheinmetall is now reacting and building up new capacities. The armaments company could then deliver the first batch of “cheetah” ammunition to Ukraine as early as July.
Rheinmetall is building an extensive new ammunition production facility in Germany with the aim of supplying the Bundeswehr independently. The systems for so-called medium-caliber ammunition should be ready in January, the armaments company confirmed on request. Previously, there had been political anger in Berlin over the Swiss veto on ammunition deliveries from Germany to Ukraine. The export of old stocks of the weapon material required for the “Gepard” anti-aircraft gun tank would have required the consent of the Swiss government, which, however, refused, citing its own neutrality.
Rheinmetall also pointed to significant pent-up demand for ammunition in Germany and gaps created by support from Ukraine. They are to be filled in accordance with NATO specifications. A spokesman for the armaments company said that the focus of the new requirements was on efforts to “establish the ammunition supply in Germany again, in principle, independently of foreign production facilities”. It was decided to build a new production facility for calibers from 20 to 35 millimeters in Germany. Production is scheduled to start in June 2023.
In addition, Rheinmetall will be able to deliver the first batch of “cheetah” ammunition as early as July, the spokesman said. According to reports, it is up to 300,000 shots for Ukraine if the federal government now issues a corresponding order. Germany gave the “cheetah” to Ukraine, but was initially only able to add a small amount of ammunition. The “Gepard” tanks, which were decommissioned by the Bundeswehr and handed over to the Ukraine, are equipped with a twin 35mm cannon made by the Swiss arms manufacturer Oerlikon. The Swiss manufacturer of weapons and ammunition now belongs to Rheinmetall.
“I am very relieved that the industry reacted so quickly. In the future, more and more ammunition that we urgently need will be manufactured in Germany,” said the chair of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann from the FDP. “In view of the security policy situation, it is of immense importance that Germany, together with its NATO partners, becomes more independent in the production of ammunition.”
Where exactly the production facilities will be built is not yet publicly known. In November, Strack-Zimmermann had demanded that consequences be drawn from the Swiss position in Germany. “What actually happens if Germany or one of the NATO countries is attacked and the Swiss-made ammunition is not delivered because of this ‘neutrality’?” she asked.
The “Gepard” tanks will be used to protect Ukraine’s infrastructure against Russian airstrikes. They also protect port facilities necessary for the transportation of Ukrainian grain to world markets. The fact that the Swiss government twice vetoed deliveries of ammunition from Germany to the Ukraine, with reference to its neutrality, was grudgingly accepted in Germany.
The Bundeswehr has also been purchasing medium-calibre ammunition from Switzerland for its Mantis anti-aircraft weapon system, for the main armament of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, a naval gun and for the Tornado and Eurofighter combat aircraft. These are types of ammunition in calibers from 20 millimeters to 35 millimeters, which are now being manufactured on new machines in Germany.
Germany intends to spend a total of more than 20 billion euros on ammunition in the coming years, including rockets and artillery ammunition. Rheinmetall sees itself as “responsible for supporting the federal government to the best of its ability in restoring the necessary defense capability of the Bundeswehr,” said the company spokesman. The decision to build a new production line and expand production capacity for ammunition in Germany is independent of plans for existing locations in other countries.
The Rheinmetall spokesman continued: “We expressly see the step described as a contribution by industry to strengthening the Federal Republic of Germany’s ability to act in foreign and security policy and to ensuring Germany’s security within a strong North Atlantic Alliance and a united European Union by creating suitable capacities raise.”
An acquisition in Europe that Rheinmetall recently announced also serves to expand capacity in the ammunition sector. With the takeover of the Spanish Expal Systems, the company will more than triple its capacity in the field of artillery ammunition and double it in the medium-caliber range and mortars. The takeover is to be completed by summer 2023 at the latest, once the antitrust reviews have been completed.
