Germany has overtaken the United States in conventional ammunition production capacity, Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger has claimed, as the company revealed the scale of its production surge since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Papperger told reporters, according to reporting by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, that Rheinmetall had increased artillery shell output from around 70,000 rounds annually to 1.1 million, while medium-calibre ammunition production had risen from 800,000 to four million rounds per year.
Military truck production had grown from 600 to 4,500 units annually. The claims about surpassing US capacity are Papperger’s own and have not been independently verified.
The expansion has been driven by sustained demand from Ukraine and European governments rushing to rebuild stockpiles, and has been accompanied by rapid workforce growth. Rheinmetall received 350,000 job applications in 2025, of which 250,000 came from within Germany, a significant shift for an industry that Papperger acknowledged had previously struggled to attract candidates.
The company currently employs 44,000 people and expects that figure to reach 70,000 by 2030, with a further 210,000 potentially employed across its supply chains.
Central to the production surge is the Unterlüß facility in Lower Saxony, which opened in August 2025 and is intended to produce up to 350,000 artillery shells annually at full capacity, making it one of the largest ammunition plants in Europe. Rheinmetall has also established new facilities in Hungary, Romania, Lithuania and Ukraine, and acquired Spanish manufacturer Expal Munitions as part of an aggressive continental expansion. Papperger has said he does not expect the sharp rise in sales and orders to slow before 2034 at the earliest, with the company projecting turnover of €14 to €15 billion in 2026, representing growth of around 40 per cent.
Rheinmetall’s expansion also carries implications for Germany’s wider industrial economy. Papperger predicted that defence production could replace around a third of jobs in Germany’s automotive industry, which is currently facing significant cuts, noting that 4,500 of the company’s 11,500 German suppliers also work with car manufacturers.
Easy to forget just how much bigger the manufacturing base is in Europe compared to the USA.
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Easy to forget that every time that Germany increases military production they decide later to start a World War.
You know it is people who start wars, not countries
Good point BUT the UK government has known about the ammunition shortage for almost 2 years and has ignored it – like everything else that is of immense importance.
Building ammunition plants NOW even if they had to borrow the money to do so would actually not only help us in the forthcoming wars but also increase the economic activity and tax take.
Perhaps that’s why Labour hasn’t done it as China wouldn’t like it!
If Not. Prove it and do it. Labour should do something for the UK
Last time this happened, there was a nasty Dictator causing pain across the World.
Oh hang on, there still Is !
Nah, Mertz is not a problem. But what comes after him may be.
Ha, good point about Mertz but It was more a tongue In Cheek comment aimed at that other Dictator “Resident Chump”.
Are…., plural
And of course the UK still lags behind, with the best BAE stating they can pull off this year is around 80,000 maybe a little more if they beat projections.
But that shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point
Agree, who would have thought a land power with the largest economy in Europe would out produce the UK in artillery shells 🤔🤦♂️
We’re all doomed!!!! 😀
My point still stands and I was nice enough to ignore the UKs various other military and production shortcomings, but I have accepted your comments are as pointless as ever so I forgive you 👍
@ Clunker
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Great news, Germany is switching production from cars to ammo and tanks. We should really thank Putin and Trump for it, it’s exactly what we all wanted.
How is the UK doing on ammo out put? still at the commity stag, focus group or round table meetings, oh well we will get there some day, may be.
Ask the government, ‘ the UK is Having the largest sustained increase in defence spending.. ‘.
Still waiting to see the money though
Never mind any of the weapons, systems or munitions.
Its fine every thing will fixed, working etc by 2030 the CDS has said, no rush.
5 years notice to move…
That sums it up, lackluster no rush, it will be fine inthe morning, some one else problem. Or just not giving a s**t. That is the MOD/Government thoughts on defence.
See below for details, just to put things in perspective the entire gulf war, the largest military campaign we fought since Korea required 30,000 artillery shells for all coalition forces. While I think it’s great Germany is trying to get to 1 million they are likely to end up being stuck with massive stockpiles one day.
The UK is currently in a high-stakes transition phase, moving from “just-in-time” procurement to an “always-on” sovereign industrial base. While political commitments and funding are at record highs, actual factory output is still scaling up from historically low levels.
As of May 2026, here is the status of the UK’s artillery and energetics production:
1. Artillery Ammunition (155mm)
The centerpiece of the UK’s immediate increase is the BAE Systems Glascoed facility in South Wales.
• Capacity Expansion: Initially scheduled to open in 2025, the plant’s launch was intentionally delayed into 2026 to double its planned capacity.
• The Goal: Once fully operational this year, the facility is expected to deliver an eight-fold to sixteen-fold increase in 155mm shell production compared to pre-2023 levels.
• The Reality Check: Even with this massive jump, the UK’s projected annual output of roughly 80,000 shells remains significantly lower than European peers like Germany (targeting 1 million+ shells) and France.
2. Explosives and Energetics (“The Six-Factory Plan”)
The UK is moving to end its reliance on imported propellants and explosives (traditionally sourced from the US and France) to secure its “sovereign” supply.
• Strategic Investment: The government has committed £1.5 billion to build at least six new munitions and energetics factories.
• Current Status: As of late April 2026, feasibility studies are being finalized. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to open “investment windows” in Q3 2026 for private industry to bid for capital grants (up to £45 million per project).
• Focus Areas: These new sites will specialize in TNT, RDX (explosives), and rocket propellants, which are currently the primary bottlenecks in the global supply chain.
3. Key Strategy Shifts: The “Always On” Model
The 2025/2026 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommendations are now being implemented to fix long-standing supply chain fragilities:
• Long-Term Contracts: The MoD is moving away from small, sporadic orders toward long-range commitments (e.g., a £2 billion+ 15-year partnership with BAE Systems) to give industry the confidence to build new production lines.
• Stockpiling: The target has shifted from maintaining a “buffer” to building deep reserves capable of sustaining high-intensity combat for months rather than days.
• Ukraine Support: A significant portion of the new capacity is earmarked for Ukraine, with the UK acting as a primary European hub for Western-standard (JBMOU) ammunition.
Summary Table: UK Munition Progress (2026)
All good except… by comparison Rheinmetall’s Unterlüß facility in Lower Saxony (intended to produce up to 350,000 artillery shells pa) went from a muddy field to operational munitions factory in 15 months.
I hope the government’s changes to planning permission for infrastructure will also be applicable strategic defence manufacturing.
not quite sure about the comment about moving to long term ” long-range commitments” there was sort of happing with 155mm shells anyway, there was a 15 year, £2 billion contract signed in 2012, that why BAE built a new factory in Washington
The gulf war is a bad example its too short, in a longer war we would simply run out of ammo, its been takled about, had meeting about, etc etc but nothing has really been done to fix that. Just words, studies and thats it. Like every thing with defence its warm empty statements, and nothing new.
I do not see that changing short or even long term its just no important to the Government and they can churn out endless statemeants and sound bites will doing nothing. And that is how it has been for years.
We have significantly greater ammunition production capability than our ability to fire the ammunition and as Germany and other European nations are now out producing our enemies its better we spend our finite budgets on things that Germany and other European nations don’t have.
For instance, the UK is spending £15 billion on nuclear warheads including a major investment in the supply chain. The UK is spending £1 billion on satellite constellations, the UK has reactivated two major surface warship production yards since 2020 and it’s doubling the size of Europe largest nuclear submarine production facility. The UK has more major surface combatants under construction than any other nation in the world except China even more than the USA.
Germany is not doing any of that so they can concentrate on smashing out military trucks and ammunition.
It may come as a surprise to some but it’s no accident that Germany is investing in different capabilities to the UK. We have been coordinating this NATO wide since 2022.
We have bugger all to fire ammo from, great lrts spend it all on nuclear subs and ships when have not ordered abd new ships or subs just the ones which were ordered years ago. Mean smwhike we have cdap aur defence , on Awacs, no SEAD aircraft, no workibgvrepkafemebt for CVRTs no replacement for warrior. No working replacement for all the AS90s we gave away. We have not ordered vast amounts of Javlin and Nlaw to replace what we gave away. We have less MLRS able to fure GMLRS ammo thnn we did 4 years ago.. not sure what we should be happy about and the RAF has no C130s and 20 less Tphoons, abd the Arny is smaller.
Pity out government won’t give the mod enough money to buy ammo and guns etc. or we could do the same here. If only the police, councils, government etc. had bought British we might also have a growing manufacturing base
One problem we have is the highest electricity costs for business in the world. With all this net zero taxes and leevis. That put cost to buy British up, its self defeating like most taxes ruining our own industry through taxes. That’s what the clever people who run the nation do, that is how bright they are.
Absolutely correct, not just this government but the ones before it, ALL British governments for the last 70 years have DELIBERATELY been killing Britihs industry, not accidentally but deliberately. Led and advised by the civil service, the people who are actually happy to do this for their russian paymasters.
It could be reversed, but we have to avoid voting for Labour, Conservative or even Reform, because NONE of those is going to do what is actually required. I would start my term in power with taking every 100th name from the civil service list (in alphabetical order) and letting them keep a job while getting rid of ALL the rest.
All fair, all needed, and good stuff.
But none of that list restores any mass, it just feeds the MIC.
When will the military get more mass? I suggest never, unless a peer war happens, HMG are only interested in defence for the photo opportunities acting the major power ( Grandstanding ) and the jobs, the constant engine for growth that comes from every ministers mouth.
Numbers matter, conventional forces matter, killing your enemies matter.
Even the 13 Frigates, one day long in the future, only gives us back the lowest benchmark we had, 13 Frigates, from the 17 and 20 and more we had before, when Batch 1 and 2 of the T22s were still around and Escorts numbered 30 plus.
Also, plenty of others have satellites, we alone lacked any save Skynet for comms due to us paying the US a large cheque.
Though I agree ISTARI and all ISTAR is critical to modern warfare.
7000 cruise missiles, several hundred sensors in the Atlantic, dozens of satellites in orbit, 70 MLRS and tens of thousands of drones. That’s all mass.
It’s just that the mass might not look like the old mass of 32 frigates, 1000 tanks and 400 fast jets.
At sea would I take 32 frigates and destroyers or 19 frigates and destroyers with a couple of hundred drones and autonomous sensors
I think the later is probably better now.
7000 missiles as stated by HMG. Which I bet will include OWE Drones and all sorts of munitions, not just cruise or even ballistic missiles.
The 70 odd MLRS. Ordered by a previous government, who also went in for ER and PRSM. Vital munitions which are now in doubt as funding might be diverted to this governments pet project developing a missile
with Germany. At the time, people were asking why and whether Deep Fires would even survive. The last tranche of 15 upgraded has still not been signed off by HMG, as part of the foot dragging.
Several hundred sensors, great, where are they? Are they deployable? What defends them? How do they interact with IUSS?
COCO at first, will be good once they’re GOMO.
Dozens of satellites in orbit. So far, 2, excluding Skynet, ordered by previous government.
Tens of thousands of Drones. Impossible to evaluate as HMG won’t say, but didn’t we see an article recently 4k so far? I suspect many will be double counted as part of the “7000 missiles” claim.
Agree on the 19 plus armed ASV, but none exist yet, I’ll believe 1SLs claims when they’re real.
None is real mass for me apart from the MLRS, which still currently don’t exist in those numbers that Deep Fires grandstanded would exist.
My take on mass, with the new Drones:
2 more Wedgetail.
More P8.
More Protector.
More Atlas.
More Fast Jets.
More T31 batch 2.
More MHC, which have no mothers.
More GBAD.
More artillery.
More AW149
More ISTAR.
A real IFV.
More Ch3.
More CSS for the Army.
More usable stations for the RAF.
More SSN.
None of which has any sign whatsoever of being ordered save the previous batch 2 F35, itself victim of a money saving exercise, and the SSNs, which I remain doubtful on as they are decades away and don’t exist, despite long lead items for how many Aus compared to RN? Nobody will say.
I don’t think we have the 70 MLRS in service, there’s a goal to have that number ( and a longer term one to get to 85) there only 43 on the latest set of equipment figures. There could be 7 units at the factory having the B2 upgrade which makes a bout 50
Agree entirely but we aren’t getting more mass. Theres no way our forces are going to get bigger. Hopefully we will get to properly kit out the forces we do have, but we ain’t getting more people especially.
What does the UK currently have that can use the increased output of 155mm ammunition? 14 Archer, with AS90 given away or out of service.
37 RCH 155 have been contracted with a demonstrator scheduled for delivery in 2028.
Still, by the time RCH appears in numbers, we should have stockpiled vast numbers of shells.
The US and UK simply dont use a lot of artillery in their doctrine. The US was mainly surging it for Ukraine but even they don’t use it anything like they did a few years ago. The US will never get into a static line ww1 style artillery duel, they’ll use airpower to take out the enemies guns and resupply. Drones have taken over most of the job of artillery, so I expect the US to lower production as they’re currently surging other ammo supplies (numerous types of missiles, drones)
A fair point but it is still something we need to improve and it doesn’t look good when we announce something to great fan fair then the government hides behind feasibility studies.
Patrick, how are drones a replacement for artillery? Drones are precision weapons fired at a specific point target to take it out. Artillery, whilst some is precision, most is not, and provides an area effect. Artillery can suppress troops in defensive positions, be they in shell scrapes or trenches or battened down in vehicles….and used against infantry in the open in the advance to achieve casualties by shrapnel splinters, concussive effect and shock effect.
Artillery can ‘rubbleise’ built up areas to impede enemy movement. Mostly, especially when used for a considerable period of time, they have deleterious effects on morale and fighting spirit of an opponent.
Drones are not what you would ordinarily think of using against mass infantry; artillery (and mortar fire) is what you would use as indirect fire weapons to augment direct fire Small Arms.
Exactly Graham.
It only takes a simple Youtube search of Ukraine’s Video footage to see quite literally millions of Artillery shell craters In every battlefield.
Drone’s are highlighted though.
HMG need to follow the same path . Well done Germany 🇩🇪
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Good comments here today.
Further to that i saw Tom Tugendhat giving a speech as part of his select commitie work recently. He stated UK only has weapon stockpiles for eight days of high intensity combat operations. Yes 8 days!!!!!!!! After that its end of sports.
That speech hasn’t been contradicted by MOD.
Hello, a Kraut here.
Gotta say, i don’t really get some of the beef about british ammo production going on in the comments. We germans are together with the Poles expected to be the main ground forces for any coming Europe-Russia war. Our navy is comparatively pityfull, while you guys got modern carriers and nuke subs.
Makes sense to me that you got different priorities and worst comes to worst, I expect that british guns will have little trouble firing german shells.
You are talking sense, you do the ground fighting with Poland we do the navy stuff and share the rest between us. We do not need a large Army it would not get to fight in time or be big enough to make a difference.
Glade some gets that in NATO we all do not need large navies or Armies but some do need one or the other. We do how ever all need good air defence deep strike.
I mean, yeah, that’s just logic.
The government wants to have 280 000 regulars and 200 000 reservists, but I wouldn’t know how even an army of half a million will put Russia under blockade or interdict the shadow fleet. We’ve kept a reasonable amount of industrial capacity but we don’t have many shipyards nor much of a fleet to speak off.
You guys have to take care of two huge carriers and all that, so I genuinely think Nato is better served if the brits focus on getting more ships in the water over a bigger brigade count. Logistics will limit the amount of troops that can be moved to the front anyway and beyond that, I think only the french and italians have serious long range naval forces
This is the point no Nato country will ever fight alone, and none needsxa perfect Army, Navy and Air Force. Others can bring skills to fight while doing other tasks.
Germany and Ploland could not afford a better Navy but they do not need one, justxadxwe do not need a bigger Army we let others do that while we control the seas. No nation can do ut all or needs to
Not exactly s feat when arms companies are restricting production to increase profits.
Shells have increased 400+ percent since 2022. Why make them for 5000 dollars or cheaper like Russia does when you can charge 20,000