New ammunition factory: Turning point at Rheinmetall-speed

Rheinmetall has taken Europe’s largest ammunition factory in Lower Saxony into operation in order to meet the urgent needs of the armed forces in Europe. The technology group has invested almost €500 million in the construction of the production facility at the Rheinmetall site in Unterluess (Celle district), which was completed in a record time of just 15 months.

The presence of many dignitaries from Germany and abroad highlighted the importance of the occasion. Guests present were Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil, Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and General Carsten Breuer, Chief of Defence of the German Armed Forces. The highest-ranking guest was Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria. Olaf Lies, Minister-President of Lower-Saxony, also attended the ceremony, as did many other high-ranking persons, including guests from the United States of America, Latvia and Lithuania.

In future, up to 350,000 artillery shells are to be produced annually in Unterluess at the new Lower-Saxony plant (Werk Niedersachsen), which covers an area of around 30,000 m2. The first 25,000 rounds are to be produced before the end of this year. Next year, 140,000 rounds are scheduled for delivery, with full capacity to be reached in 2027. In addition to that, the production of engines for artillery rockets is planned for the year 2026. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger: “After having accelerated the production to the maximum until 2027 and then being at full capacity, the Werk Niedersachsen will be the largest ammunition plant in Europe, if not the world”.

More information on the ceremonial opening of Europe’s largest ammunition factory can be found here.