Unterlüß, Germany — 27 August 2025. Rheinmetall has inaugurated a new artillery ammunition plant at Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, which the company and multiple outlets describe as the largest facility of its kind in Europe.

Construction began in February 2024 and the project moved from ground-breaking to production in roughly eighteen months. Rheinmetall documents state that loading, assembling and packaging (LAP) lines entered service in the second quarter of 2025, with shell manufacturing following in the third quarter. Full-rate output is scheduled for 2027.

At full capacity, the plant is expected to produce up to 350,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition per year. Trial operations started earlier this year, and initial volumes in 2025 are limited, scaling to 140,000 rounds in 2026 before reaching the planned maximum the following year, according to company materials and reporting.

The new complex is configured as two main buildings: one dedicated to the production of 155mm projectile shells, and a second for loading, assembly and packaging. The facility forms part of a wider effort to secure national and NATO supplies of standard 155mm ammunition. Company literature emphasises the aim of a fully sovereign production chain for these munitions in Germany.

Rheinmetall lists total investment at almost €500 million. Staffing for the artillery plant itself is put at approximately 350, while the firm says the Unterlüß site as a whole will support “over 500” jobs once planned rocket-artillery activities are added.

Beyond 155mm shells, Rheinmetall plans to introduce rocket-artillery production at Unterlüß from 2026. Separate reporting indicates the company is also in discussions with Lockheed Martin regarding the potential production in Germany of certain missile types, reflecting a broader deepening of transatlantic industrial cooperation.

The Unterlüß site has long hosted Rheinmetall activities, including an extensive test range, but the new capacity marks a step change in European output of standard NATO artillery ammunition since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Independent assessments and industry statements over the past two years have consistently noted that Europe’s stockpiles and industrial base have required rapid expansion to meet operational demand and replenishment targets.

The scale-up in Germany is occurring alongside parallel moves elsewhere in Europe. On Tuesday, Rheinmetall announced plans for two joint ventures in Bulgaria to manufacture gunpowder and 155mm shells, with combined investment exceeding €1 billion. Earlier this year, the company finalised a joint venture with Lithuania’s state-owned partners EPSO-G Invest and Giraitė Armaments Factory to build a 155mm ammunition plant at Baisogala, with operations targeted in the second half of 2026.

The Unterlüß timetable lays out a staged ramp-up: up to 25,000 rounds in 2025 during commissioning, 140,000 in 2026, and up to 350,000 in 2027 at maturity. The company positions the project as a means to assure “security of supply” and “sovereign production capacities” for Germany and its allies. NATO has repeatedly underlined the need for sustained ammunition output, and Rutte’s visit underscores the alliance’s focus on industrial mobilisation.

While the precise destination of future production will depend on orders, Rheinmetall has highlighted long-term demand from the Bundeswehr and NATO members for 155mm rounds. Recent contracts and framework agreements across Europe point to continued high utilisation of new and expanded lines as governments rebuild stocks and support Ukraine.