As of: March 7, 2024, 5:00 a.m
By: Lars-Eric Nievelstein
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German defense companies are benefiting from the high demand for artillery shells.
One of them is Rheinmetall.
It is said to be able to produce more than the entire United States combined.
Düsseldorf – Since the Ukraine war initiated a new phase of rearmament in the West, defense industry companies have been making high profits.
One of them is Rheinmetall.
The armaments giant from Düsseldorf is currently expanding its production capacities.
Industry forecasts show that it could overtake the USA this year.
There are several problems behind this.
Production of artillery shells Rheinmetall 2022 |
70,000 (per year) |
|---|---|
Production of artillery shells Rheinmetall 2024 |
450,000 (per year) |
Planned production of artillery shells in the USA in 2025 |
100,000 (per month) |
Cost of an artillery shell |
3,600 euros on average |
Rheinmetall ramps up artillery production
Just two years ago, Rheinmetall was able to produce around 70,000 artillery shells per year.
A lot has happened since then, not least because Rheinmetall bought the Spanish ammunition manufacturer Expal Systems and built a new production facility in Unterlüß (Lower Saxony).
According to figures from
Handelsblatt
, based on industry sources, the company can now produce 450,000 artillery shells per year.
Artillery arms race – How Germany is surpassing Biden’s production © IMAGO / Scanpix
Czech Deputy Defense Minister Jan Jires said that Rheinmetall alone would now build more such projectiles than the entire defense industry in the United States.
The signs are currently clearly pointing to growth when it comes to artillery, including at the Düsseldorf manufacturer.
“The latest orders in the area of rocket artillery and 155mm artillery ammunition once again underline Rheinmetall’s leading technological position in ammunition development and production in Europe,” the company said in a statement.
“With regard to artillery ammunition, framework agreements contribute to the secure supply of the Bundeswehr and other NATO forces.”
The so-called 155mm artillery ammunition contains a wide range of non-precision projectiles, primarily high-explosive ammunition or special ammunition such as white phosphorus grenades.
During the war in Ukraine, this type of ammunition became significantly more important.
There are also signs of an arms race in the USA
The question arises: How much does the USA currently produce?
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), monthly production of 155-millimeter bullets in the United States was 28,000 (as of October 2023) and is expected to increase to around 100,000 bullets by October 2025.
According to the figures from 2023, there would be around 336,000 bullets per year - which would actually be less than the estimated Rheinmetall figures.
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The USA is having problems replenishing its stocks because it needs some of its bullets itself.
According to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, artillery forces must fire a certain number of shots each year to stay in training.
Of course, these cannot then disappear to Ukraine.
For a long time, these training shots corresponded to a large part of the ammunition produced and therefore used it up.
Shortage of artillery
One problem the West had with artillery shells is that they didn't really need them.
In recent wars, NATO has often relied on air force bombing and drone attacks, which is due, among other things, to the strength of the US Air Force.
For a long time, larger production capacities were simply not necessary.
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has had to largely forego the mixed warfare enshrined in NATO doctrine.
As
Forbes
reported, regulations pose another obstacle. Western-made artillery ammunition is perfected to the maximum in terms of durability, accuracy and range.
Western bullets clearly outperform Russian ones in a direct comparison, but in the trenches between Kupiansk and Crimea it is currently the sheer mass that counts.
Western industry was not designed for this.
Rheinmetall is currently expanding.
The group is setting up new production in Unterlüß and, together with a joint venture partner, it is building another artillery factory in the Ukraine.
According to
Handelsblatt
, production could increase to around one million shells per year.