Rheinmetall arms manufacturer to open tank plant in Ukraine within three months

The German defense company Rheinmetall will deploy production facilities to produce armored vehicles in Ukraine within the next 12 weeks.

The company's CEO, Armin Papperger, said this in an interview with CNN.

In addition to deploying the enterprise, the company will train Ukrainian specialists to service tanks and other armored vehicles manufactured at the plant. According to Papperger, the new plant will operate in Ukraine's west.

"[Ukrainians] have to help themselves — if they always have to wait [for] Europeans or Americans [to] help them over the next 10 or 20 years… that is not possible," he said.

At the beginning of this year, the company announced that the planned armored tank factory would cost 200 million, and its design capacity would allow the production of about 400 tanks per year.

Rheinmetall will manage production in partnership with the Ukroboronprom arms manufacturer, for which the parties have signed a strategic partnership agreement.

When asked whether he is afraid to open production in Ukraine given Russian missile strikes, Armin Papperger replied: "Ukraine has effective means of defense against attacks on sensitive targets, mainly thanks to Western aid. Power plants and other industrial enterprises are also working, and in case of damage, they are repaired immediately."

Background

Papperger said in May that factory workers would build and repair Rheinmetall Fuchs armored personnel carriers under license at the new plant.

"We will start with vehicle maintenance and repair and want to produce armored vehicles as soon as possible, such as Fuchs armored personnel carriers," he said.

According to him, Ukraine is also interested in the modern Panther battle tank and Lynx BMP.

"But the first step is to provide the country's urgent needs in its struggle," said the Rheinmetall chief.