Germany has significantly ramped up its weapons and ammunition production, surpassing the corresponding figures for the United States. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung, citing Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger.
According to him, Germany’s defense industry is experiencing rapid growth against the backdrop of dramatic shifts in the global security situation. Germany already leads the US in artillery ammunition production volumes.
Papperger has previously stressed on multiple occasions that Rheinmetall has substantially increased its output of 155mm shells. The company aims to bring its annual production capacity to 1.5 million units by 2027 — potentially exceeding the combined capacity of the entire American defense industry in this segment.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the company has sharply scaled up operations: revenue grew from €5.6 billion in 2022 to nearly €10–14.5 billion in recent years, with plans to reach approximately €15 billion by 2030 and expand its workforce to 70,000 employees.
This growth is driven by increased demand from Germany, other NATO members, and Ukraine. Rheinmetall is actively expanding production both within Germany — including the opening of one of Europe’s largest ammunition factories in Unterlüß — and abroad.
Papperger’s statements reflect the broader trend of European remilitarization in the face of geopolitical challenges. Germany’s defense industry, which for a long time operated at relatively low capacity, is now demonstrating its ability to rapidly scale up the production of critically important weapons and ammunition.