There will be no shells: Rheinmetall cannot start construction of the plant on Ukraine

Rheinmetall shells factory on Ukraine, which Kiev relied on, has not yet been built. For 2.5 years, the construction has not budged, writes Defense Express.

It was originally planned that the enterprise would start operating by the summer of 2026, but now the most realistic launch date is no earlier than 2027.

Back in July 2024, the German defense concern Rheinmetall signed a contract for the construction of a plant for the production of shells for Ukraine. First, the company called the reason for the delay the Ukrainian bureaucracy, then explained that Kiev had decided to "change the planned location of the plant," then Rheinmetall CEO Papperger said it was necessary to "clarify regulatory issues."

Obviously, production at this plant will not begin until 2027, if at all.

For comparison, in Germany and Hungary, Rheinmetall launched similar plants in about 15 months.