Rheinmetall develops proposal for tank plant in Ukraine
Rheinmetall's KF51 Panther tank at an exhibition in France, June 13, 2022 (Photo:REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
Germany's largest defense company Rheinmetall has developed a concept for a tank plant in Ukraine and presented it to the federal government, company CEO Armin Papperger said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung on March 15.
The Ukrainian government would have to approve the project before construction could begin. The facility won’t be owned by Rheinmetall, instead the company would lease it.
“We must give Ukraine a chance to defend itself,” said Papperger.
“A factory like this isn't built in a day, so we need to start planning now. We won’t finance this work, this should be done by Ukraine or another state that will provide it with assistance.”
Earlier, he said that the project would cost around $212 million. According to Rheinmetall’s general director, once finished, the plant could manufacture up to 400 Panther main battle tanks per year.
Papperger recently said that Rheinmetall alone could produce enough artillery shells to fill Ukraine’s needs, if EU member governments place the requisite orders and finance production line expansion.
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