Rheinmetall’s first equipment repair and production shop opens in Ukraine
11 June, 2024 Marder IFV. Photo credits: Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC Rheinmetall's first joint armored vehicle repair and production facility with the Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC was launched in Ukraine.
The press service of the Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC reported on this. The company was launched as part of a partnership between a Ukrainian concern and a global defense giant. Currently, the main purpose of the new site is to repair military equipment produced by the German concern Rheinmetall.
The workshop's opening will accelerate the restoration of combat vehicles and their return to the front line, and will subsequently allow Ukrainian gunsmiths to produce new equipment for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. "We strive to develop our production capabilities together with our allies and believe that Ukrainian defense is part of the European defense industry, which strengthens the EU's collective security system. Therefore, the opening of a joint production site with Rheinmetall is not only a step towards Ukraine's victory but also an important stage in building the Arsenal of the Free World," Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, said.
Opening of the repair shop.
Photo credits: Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC
"The opening of the first joint service center with Rheinmetall in Ukraine is extremely important for strengthening our defense capabilities. It will allow us to provide fast repair and maintenance of German equipment directly on the territory of Ukraine, which will significantly increase the efficiency of our Armed Forces. We are grateful to our German partners for their trust and support, which allow us to move confidently towards victory and integrate into the European collective security system," Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Dmytro Klimenkov said.
Ukrainian specialists work at the open joint production site, while representatives of the German partner provide technical supervision. "The development of partnership with such a leading global arms manufacturer as Rheinmetall demonstrates the high degree of trust that Ukroboronprom has gained from its Western colleagues. This trust is the result of hard work to develop the skills of our weapons manufacturers, implementation of corporate governance reform, and successful work on building anti-corruption infrastructure.
All of this together makes the Company and its enterprises competitive, transparent, and attractive to foreign partners," David Lomdzharia, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC, said. "This project, implemented as part of a large program of cooperation with Rheinmetall, creates new opportunities for our defenders who will receive equipment for combat as quickly as possible after repair and maintenance. It is important that this is happening in Ukraine: our foreign partners are confident in us, our professionalism, and the high potential of the domestic defense industry.
I am grateful to the management of the German concern for fruitful cooperation, which allowed us to equip and open a joint production site in a short time," Herman Smetanin, Director General of Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC, said.
Opening of the repair shop. Photo credits: Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC
"It is very important for us to provide efficient and reliable support to Ukraine. When it comes to the supply of spare parts, our top priority is to ensure maximum availability and fast replenishment of stocks.
To achieve this goal, we use existing channels of original manufacturers and process the material ourselves and with partners.
We are also restoring original supply chains and integrating local production in Ukraine," Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, shared.
As previously reported, in October 2023, the German defense concern Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian defense industry JSC established a joint venture, RHEINMETALL UDI LLC (RHEINMETALL UKRAINIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY LLC), to repair Western equipment and eventually build new equipment.