Rheinmetall opens Europe's largest projectile production plant in Germany

Rheinmetall AG is opening Europe's largest projectile production plant, Bloomberg reports.

The opening came after a slight delay. Rheinmetall began construction of the plant in early 2024. It was scheduled to open in late spring or early summer of this year. Trial operations began in the second quarter of 2025. The plant is expected to have a capacity of up to 350,000 artillery shells per year after full operation from 2027.

The investment will amount to around 500 million euros ($581 million), and more than 500 jobs will be created at the facility. Rheinmetall also plans to produce rocket artillery starting in 2026.

Rheinmetall recently completed another major project in Germany – a plant in Weeze near the Dutch border, where the German defense contractor manufactures center fuselage sections for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet.

In addition, in 2026, Rheinmetall plans to launch a plant in Ukraine that will produce 155-mm shells. This was previously stated by the company's CEO Armin Papperger in an August call with analysts. He also noted that construction is "sluggish" due to bureaucracy, without providing details. He added that Ukraine wants to double the capacity of the plant, but additional financing is needed for this.