Bundeswehr Orders Additional 120mm Ammunition from Rheinmetall
The German Armed Forces have placed a new large order for the production of 120mm tank ammunition, expanding the existing agreement with Rheinmetall to 4 billion euros.
This information was reported on the official Rheinmetall website.
"The order underscores Rheinmetall's role as the main supplier of 120mm tank ammunition for the German Armed Forces. It also reflects the German military's desire to restore its capabilities and increase its stockpiles of ammunition due to the new security situation," the statement said.
According to the announcement, within the framework of the signed agreement, the Bundeswehr can purchase several hundred thousand units of this type of ammunition, which is used, for example, by the main battle tank "Leopard 2".
Thus, multi-purpose tank ammunition with "unprogrammed burst" and variations with three different modes - impact detonation with and without delay, as well as airburst function - will be manufactured for the German Armed Forces' order.
It is noted that within the updated agreement with the Bundeswehr, a large quantity of tank ammunition will be manufactured and delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Recall that at the end of last month, Rheinmetall concluded an agreement with the governments of the Netherlands and Denmark for the delivery of 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine.
It is expected that the first batch of tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in January 2024, and the rest by the end of the year.
Furthermore, after the recently held NATO summit, which took place in Vilnius on July 11 and 12 this year, the Bundeswehr announced a new phase of military support for Ukraine.
The new military package includes additional 155mm artillery shells, 10 laser aiming equipment IRIS-T SLM, 10 fire command units IRIS-T SLM, and two 2 spare part packages for VECTOR drone.
In addition, the Bundeswehr emphasized that the funding for the new security capacity-building initiative amounts to 5.4 billion euros for 2023, with this amount expected to double to 10.5 billion euros in the following years. The funds will primarily be directed towards military assistance to Ukraine.