German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom set up joint venture to repair and build tanks

The German armsmaker Rheinmetall has set up a joint venture with the Ukrainian state-owned company Ukroboronprom to repair the Western-supplied armor and prepare the production of tanks, Handelsblatt reports.

The cooperation includes maintenance and repair of armored vehicles in Ukraine, and the production of tanks are being prepared in parallel. Rheinmetall will hold 51% of the stakes in the new company. The enterprise will also take over the management of the company.

Ukraine benefits from the comprehensive transfer of technology and short-term supplies of military equipment from Germany, said Armin Papperger, the CEO.

The armsmaker also expects to sign contracts for two more joint ventures in the coming days: for ammunition and air defense.

Ukrainian, Polish, and German prime ministers signed an agreement on launching a maintenance center for Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks in Poland.

Germany handed Ukraine the second of the four promised anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMS) IRIS-T SLM.