The German company Rheinmetall has announced plans to supply weapons and equipment to Ukraine for 2024-2025. The planned supplies include ammunition, tanks, armored personnel carriers, air defense systems and other equipment, the company’s press service reports.
“Rheinmetall is the only defense contractor capable of supplying the Ukrainian military with a large number of new medium and large caliber ammunition, including 20-mm for the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, 40-mm ammunition, as well as 105-mm for the Leopard 1 tank and 120-mm tank ammunition for the Leopard 2,” the statement said.
The company recalled that by the end of 2023, 40,000 out of 300,000 rounds of 35-mm ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank had also been manufactured and delivered.
“Moreover, Rheinmetall is an important strategic partner of Ukraine in the supply of 155-mm artillery ammunition: several tens of thousands of shells have already been delivered, and tens of thousands more will be delivered in 2024. In December 2023, the German government also placed an order with Rheinmetall for the supply of several tens of thousands of ammunition in 2025,” the statement said.
In addition to Germany, another NATO member state has commissioned Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with a large quantity of 155 ammunition rounds. The shells will be produced by the Spanish manufacturer Rheinmetall Expal Munitions and are to be delivered in 2025.
In addition, in 2024, it is planned to supply “in the double-digit range” of Marder armored personnel carriers, 24 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, as well as 5 armored evacuation vehicles and two Leopard 1 tanks for training. Another 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks will be delivered on behalf of the governments of the Netherlands and Denmark.
Deliveries of Skynex air defense systems are also expected to continue.
In addition, a second rescue station (NATO Role 1 standard) and SurveilSPIRE drone defense systems are planned to be delivered.
“In addition to short-term deliveries of military equipment, in the long term Ukraine will need assistance in rebuilding its defense industry and reorienting production to Western standards. Therefore, in October 2023, Rheinmetall established a joint venture with the Ukrainian state-owned company Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC (formerly Ukroboronprom) in Kyiv – Rheinmetall Ukrainian Defense Industry LLC, the company added.
Currently, maintenance and repair work is already underway on military vehicles; in the second phase, Ukraine will also produce armored vehicles, such as Fuchs/Fox armored personnel carriers, Lynx infantry fighting vehicles and Panther main battle tanks.
“The goal is to turn Ukraine into an effective partner, rebuild its once powerful defense sector and ensure its strategic autonomy,” the statement emphasizes.
air defense systems, LEOPARD TANKS, RHEINMETALL, shells, Skynex
Germany has handed over a new military aid package to Ukraine, which includes a new Skynex anti-aircraft artillery system and ammunition, the German government’s press service reports.
In addition, ammunition for the Patriot and IRIS-T SLM systems, as well as for Leorard 2A6 tanks, was transferred.
The aid package also includes 10 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 2 TRML-4D radars, 9,080 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, 2 WISENT demining tanks, 1 Biber bridge-building tank, 3,350 combat helmets, and 30 drone detection systems, 10 GO1 ground surveillance radars, 10 Zetros trucks, 3 8×8 HX81 tractors and a semi-trailer, 34 other vehicles, 305 MK 556 assault rifles, 0.75 million rounds of ammunition and 1152 winter camouflage nets.
In the future, it is also planned to transfer 4 IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems, 1 more Skynex air defense system with ammunition, 20 drone detection systems, 26,850 combat helmets, 41 Mercedes trucks, 4,695 MK 556 assault rifles, 0.45 million rounds of ammunition for firearms and 8,000 anti-tank mines.
