Thursday, June 20, 2024, 18:09
The Bundeswehr, the German federal army, has ordered artillery ammunition worth 8.5 billion euros from the German arms consortium Rheinmetall, which is considered the largest order in the recent history of the group, which manufactures everything from battle tanks to defense systems. anti-aircraft defense. The company based in Düsseldorf and with factories spread throughout the country announced this Thursday the signing of a framework agreement for the production of millions of pieces of 155-millimeter ammunition. Its purpose will be to replenish and reinforce the depots of the German armed forces and several of its allies, but, above all and at the beginning, to supply Ukraine with missiles of that size with which to respond and counteract the Russian offensive on its territory.
Armin Papperger, head of Rheinmetall, stressed that this is the largest order that his company has received in recent history and stressed that the Government under the orders of the Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, thus keeps its word when it comes to guaranteeing the cargo of sufficient work for the company’s new ammunition production plant currently being built in the Lower Saxon town of Unterlüss. The Ministry of Defense and Rheinmetall had already signed a framework agreement for the supply of ammunition in July 2023, although for a value of 1.3 billion euros, which is now increased by 7.2 billion more to reach 8.5 billion euros.
Rheinmetall has not reported the number of artillery shells of that caliber and with a range of up to 40 kilometers that will be manufactured with that money, but it is presumed that they will be several million. The ammunition will be destined to refill the Bundeswehr’s depots, practically empty after delivering most of its reserves of 155-millimeter howitzers to Ukraine. A good part of the new production will also be destined for Ukraine itself. The first delivery with a value of 880 million euros will take place next January. The framework agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the military consortium has an initial duration of six years, but will possibly be extended and expanded before reaching its end.
Leopard Tanks
On the other hand, the weekly ‘Der Spiegel’ reveals that the head of Defense, the social democrat Boris Pistorius, intends to order the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 battle tanks worth 2.93 billion euros from the German arms consortium KNDS to reinforce and modernize the war material of its armed forces until 2030. The initiative appears in an express request to the budget committee of the Bundestag, the federal Parliament, for it to be approved before the summer break.
Most of the modern tanks will go to the German combat brigade that will be permanently stationed in Lithuania starting next year and will be made up of about 5,000 men and their families. Priority in the KNDS order is the 35 new battle tanks that will be destined for the Baltic Republic and must be delivered before 2028. The purchase of the 105 new Leopard-2A8 will represent a great leap in efforts to modernize the federal army , which currently has 310 battle tanks of that type in its most varied versions.
#Germany #orders #military #industry #record #order #weapons #millions #artillery #shells #Basque #Journal