United to win: Rheinmetall plans to start production of armored vehicles in Ukraine already next year
Фото: Rheinmetall
The German defense concern Rheinmetall AG plans to start production of its armored vehicles in Ukraine next year.
This was reported by the concern's general director, Armin Papperger, in an interview with WirtschaftsWoche, Rubryka writes.
What is the problem?
Ukraine is in dire need of military equipment due to the full-scale Russian invasion, as the war has been going on for over a year and nine months. During battles, armored personnel carriers and tanks fail. Sometimes, they can be repaired, sometimes not.
Russia has a significant advantage in technology because it has been preparing for war with Ukraine since the last century.
Therefore, Ukraine largely relies on the financial and military support of the West, which has invested tens of billions of dollars in armaments since the beginning of Russia's aggression.
In addition, Ukrainian government officials hope cooperation with Western arms manufacturers will help revive the domestic defense industry.
We will remind that the German defense concern Rheinmetall and Ukrainian Defense Industry officially announced the creation of a joint venture to repair and maintain combat equipment transferred by Germany and other Western partners.
What is the solution?
The German arms concern Rheinmetall plans to start production of the first Fuchs armored personnel carriers and Lynx armored vehicles in Ukraine as early as 2024.
How does it work?
As reported, the enterprise wants to produce Fuchs wheeled armored personnel carriers, and Lynx tracked infantry fighting vehicles.
The head of the German concern said that he expects to conclude a corresponding agreement with Ukraine at the beginning of 2024.
Photo: Rheinmetall
After signing the contract, according to the plan:
- the first Fuchs will leave the assembly line within 6 to 7 months,
- first Lynx within 12 to 13 months.
Papperger also explained that:
- production of Fuchs armored personnel carriers in Ukraine will become possible from the end of summer 2024,
- production of the Lynx BMP may begin in the summer of 2025.
Photo: Rheinmetall
"The first ten Lynx armored vehicles are already being manufactured here, in Germany or Hungary, in cooperation with Ukraine. After the build-up phase, we should be able to produce a significant number of these combat vehicles entirely in Ukraine," the concern's general director emphasized.
According to him, the German government has already given a signal that the export of this armored vehicle to Ukraine will be allowed.
The CEO of Rheinmetall explained the unusually short lead time by saying that the cooperation had progressed well. The German concern is already Ukraine's largest partner in the defense industry.
In 2022, the group received orders worth about €900 million, and in 2023, the volume of orders increased to approximately two and a half billion euros.
"There will definitely be more of them next year," predicts Papperger.
In addition, maintenance of German armored vehicles has already been established in Ukraine, for which Ukrainian specialists have received training in Germany.
Photo: Rheinmetall
Lynx infantry fighting vehicle
KF41 Lynx is a heavy infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) weighing around 44 tons, introduced by Rheinmetall in 2018. Its main armament is a Lance turret with a 30 or 35-mm gun and a launcher for anti-tank missiles, which can be equipped according to customer requirements.
Photo: Rheinmetall
The length of the KF41 is 7.7 m, the width is 3.6 m, the height is 3.3 m. The maximum speed is 70 km/h, and the fuel range is more than 500 km. The crew consists of three people and a landing party can be up to nine soldiers.
The IFV is protected against 30-mm projectiles in the frontal projection and from 14.5-mm projectiles in the lateral ones. The bottom of the machine guarantees explosion protection equivalent to 10 kg of TNT. The power plant of the IFV is a 1470-strong Liebherr D9612 engine, which allows you to develop a 70 km/h speed. The range on the track is 500 km.
What is known about the joint venture with Germany
We will remind that the Federal Antimonopoly Office of Germany allowed Rheinmetall to create a joint venture with Ukraine at the end of September.
It was reported that the company will be based in Kyiv.
Rheinmetall noted that the Kremlin's threats to intensify the bombing of Ukraine will not affect the German arms company's intentions to build a tank plant in Ukraine.
We will remind you that it was previously reported that the German concern, Rheinmetall, is negotiating the construction of a tank plant in Ukraine.
It is important to note that Rheinmetall is actively helping Ukraine in the war against Russia by supplying ammunition and various equipment. In particular, the concern recently received a new order for artillery shells for Ukraine.
