Acting on behalf of Ukraine, the German Ministry of Defence has tasked Rheinmetall to supply 300,000 rounds of 35mm ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which is now deployed by the Ukrainian military. The order value is in the low three-digit million euro range, says the company.
Rheinmetall will be supplying 150,000 rounds each of Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot – Tracer (APDS-T) and High Explosive Incendiary – Tracer (HEI-T) ammunition. This will enable effective engagement of a multitude of targets. The first APDS-T rounds will be delivered in summer 2023. A shift in production from APDS-T to HEI-T is scheduled to take place in mid-2024.
According to social media reports, the first deliveries will take place in the near term, with 40,000 shells reaching the Ukrainian Armed Forces this year. It is noted that to address the acute shortage of ammunition at the front, Rheinmetall installed a new production line at its Unterluss plant in a few months.
At its plant in Unterlüß, Rheinmetall is currently creating additional medium-calibre ammunition production capacity, which is due to go into operation in summer 2023. In building this new production line, Rheinmetall is responding to sharply increased global demand.
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