Ukraine has commissioned Rheinmetall to deliver 35mm ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft gun.
The new order is funded by Germany and includes 180,000 rounds of High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer (HEI-T) ammunition.
The shells can be used to counter different airborne targets, including drones.
Rheinmetall will manufacture the ammunition at its facility in Unterlüß in Germany’s north, where the company expanded its production line in 2023.
Although the value of the order is undisclosed, the company stated that it is in the high double-digit million-euro range.
Delivery is scheduled to start in 2026.
Increase in Ammo Production
Last year, Rheinmetall planned a massive increase in ammunition production capacity.
“Demand for artillery ammunition is currently very high, due not just to Ukraine’s requirements but also the need to replenish the largely empty ammunition depots of Germany and other NATO and EU countries,” the company stated.
In February 2023, Rheinmetall secured a contract to supply the Ukrainian Army with 300,000 rounds of Gepard anti-aircraft tank ammunition.
In 2023, the German firm signed a 142-million-euro ($154 million) contract to supply 155mm artillery ammunition to Kyiv. The delivery is expected this year.
Germany-Ukraine Ties
Germany is one of the largest contributors to military aid and troop support for Ukraine.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, Berlin has delivered military equipment worth up to 5.2 billion euros ($5.7 billion) from the German Army’s stocks.
In December 2024, the German government granted Ukraine a new military aid package providing Leopard 1A5 tanks and air defense systems.
