Overview

• Rheinmetall built the Unterlüß complex in about 15 months and has begun initial 155 mm production this year of up to 25,000 rounds, while the site already produces 120 mm tank ammunition.
• Output is slated to reach roughly 350,000 artillery shells annually by 2027, a scale the company says will make the facility the largest in Europe at full capacity.
• Production will first fulfill the Bundeswehr order worth up to €8.5 billion announced in July 2024, with some quantities destined for Ukraine or allied purchasers.
• Rheinmetall invested more than €500 million and created about 500 jobs, with a Lockheed Martin partnership set to add rocket‑motor manufacturing on site next year.
• NATO’s Mark Rutte and German leaders framed the opening as strategically significant, alongside a recruitment bill and a plan to lift defense spending toward 3.5% of GDP by 2029.