Germany’s fast-paced arms industry
German defence companies are expanding their capacities and establishing joint ventures. Stakeholders from other industries are also getting involved, such as the printing machine manufacturer Heidelberg.
Berlin (dpa/d.de) – Development and production have been gaining momentum in the German arms industry as new potential is being tapped.
The Düsseldorf-based defence group Rheinmetall, for example, plans to step up its cruise missile and rocket system production in cooperation with its partner Destinus from the Netherlands. The company reported that an agreement had been reached for establishing a joint venture for this purpose. The cooperation will also include supplying Ukraine.
The drone manufacturer Quantum Systems is developing its industrial cooperation with Ukraine further, based on the Build with Ukraine initiative that is funded by the Federal Government. The company further states that production is currently being ramped up in Germany to manufacture 10,000 multi-purpose quadcopter drones for the Ukrainian forces.
It was also announced that the printing machine manufacturer Heidelberg decided to get involved in the drone defence systems business that is dedicated to protecting critical infrastructure. These activities are taking place in the shape of a new joint undertaking with the US-Israeli technology provider Ondas Autonomous Systems. The site in Brandenburg an der Havel is to be expanded into the leading competence centre for drone defence and autonomous security systems.
