After Swiss veto: Rheinmetall expands ammunition production

Switzerland’s no to the delivery of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine caused trouble in Berlin. Rheinmetall is now expanding ammunition production in order to make the Bundeswehr independent of the issue.

Rheinmetall is building an extensive new ammunition production facility in Germany with the aim of supplying the Bundeswehr independently. The facilities for so-called medium-caliber ammunition should be ready in January, the armaments company confirmed to the dpa news agency.

Previously, there had been anger in federal politics about the Swiss veto against ammunition deliveries from Germany to Ukraine. The export of old stocks of the weapon material required for the anti-aircraft gun tank Gepard would have required the approval of the Swiss government, which, however, refused, citing its own neutrality.

Production from June 2023

Rheinmetall also pointed to significant pent-up demand for ammunition in Germany and gaps created by support from Ukraine. They are to be filled in accordance with NATO specifications. The focus of the new demand is the effort “to set up the ammunition supply in Germany again in principle independently of foreign production facilities,” said a spokesman for the dpa.

It was decided to build a new production plant for calibers from 20 to 35 millimeters in Germany. Production is scheduled to start in June 2023. In addition, Rheinmetall will be able to deliver the first batch of cheetah ammunition as early as July, the spokesman said. According to reports, this will mean up to 300,000 shots for Ukraine if the federal government now issues a corresponding order.

Germany had left the cheetah to Ukraine, but was initially only able to add a small amount of ammunition. The Gepard tanks, which were decommissioned by the Bundeswehr and handed over to the Ukraine, are equipped with a 35mm twin cannon from the Swiss armaments manufacturer Oerlikon. The Swiss manufacturer of weapons and ammunition now belongs to Rheinmetall.

“I am very relieved that the industry reacted so quickly. In the future, more ammunition that we urgently need will be manufactured in Germany,” said the chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), the dpa. Because of the security policy situation, it is “of immense importance” that Germany, together with its NATO partners, becomes more independent in the manufacture of ammunition.

The Gepard tanks will be used to protect Ukraine’s infrastructure against Russian airstrikes. They also protect port facilities necessary for the transportation of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

Veto from Switzerland accepted

The fact that the Swiss government twice vetoed deliveries of ammunition from Germany to the Ukraine, with reference to its neutrality, was grudgingly accepted in Germany.

The Bundeswehr has also been purchasing medium-caliber ammunition from Switzerland for its Mantis anti-aircraft weapon system, for the main armament of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, a naval gun and for the Tornado and Eurofighter combat aircraft. These are types of ammunition in calibers from 20 millimeters to 35 millimeters, which are now being manufactured on new machines in Germany.

In November, Strack-Zimmermann had demanded that consequences be drawn from the Swiss position in Germany:

20 billion euros for ammunition

Germany intends to spend a total of more than 20 billion euros on ammunition, including rockets and artillery ammunition, in the coming years. Rheinmetall sees itself as “responsible for supporting the federal government to the best of its ability in restoring the Bundeswehr’s ability to defend itself,” said the spokesman, who did not expressly mention Switzerland.

The decision to build a new production line and expand production capacity for ammunition in Germany is independent of plans for existing locations in other countries. Where exactly the production facilities will be built is not yet publicly known.