DThe warning sign is already in Cyrillic: Please do not wipe the germanium plate, otherwise the thermal imaging sensor will be damaged. Marius Meyering is standing next to the turret of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, which is currently being repaired in Hall 3.91 and is to be delivered to the Ukraine soon. “The vehicles were in a pitiful condition, but when they go out here, they’re fit for war,” says Meyering. He is Sales Director of Rheinmetall for the tactical vehicles.
When he was still with the armed forces was, he practically grew up on the Marder, from driver to gunner to commander. Here in Unterlüß, one of the largest locations of the Rheinmetall armaments group, ten Marders are currently being renewed every month. Rheinmetall has just received an order from the Federal Ministry of Defense for 20 more tanks, which are to be delivered to the country attacked by Russia by the end of July.
No cosmetic fixes – shoot and drive
After the repair, the marten must be able to shoot and drive perfectly, that is the main goal. In addition to the welding work, every cable and electrical system is checked for this. “Cosmetic repairs aren’t a focus,” says Meyering. Although the Marder is so old, it is popular at the front because even the 30-millimeter projectiles of the Russians cannot penetrate it head-on.
40 martens have already been sent to the Ukraine delivered, 20 of them by Rheinmetall. The armaments company offers another 60, which it is currently renewing. Just as for the Leopard 2 main battle tank, the Düsseldorf-based Dax group ordered the spare parts a year ago when the orders were not yet available. Orders are slowly picking up speed – and repairs, welding and hammering are carried out in every hall. The Marders in particular, which have been used by the Bundeswehr since the 1970s, stood around in the Rockensußra tank recycling center for more than 10 years, often with the hatch open. “All martens had to be de-moulded first,” says Meyering. Rheinmetall had once bought back the discarded tanks. Now trade is going the other way.
In the heathland of Lower Saxony, it becomes clear how much Rheinmetall has expanded its production since the outbreak of war. Incoming orders increased by 18 percent to 5.6 billion euros in 2022, and sales are expected to increase to 10 to 11 billion euros by 2025, and operating profit has also recently seen double-digit growth. 2,400 employees work in the plant, and by the end of the year there should be 2,600. Rheinmetall is investing more than 50 million euros in the site, also to significantly expand capacities.
How the largest ammunition factory works
A bang can be heard regularly from the 15-kilometre-long firing range next door when the 120-millimeter ammunition for the Leopard tank is tested again. The battle tanks that go to Slovenia and the Czech Republic in a ring exchange are also processed in the halls next door. In addition, self-propelled howitzers are assembled, Lynx vehicles are manufactured for Hungary and older Puma armored personnel carriers are upgraded to the latest technology.
On the other site, a few kilometers away, pipe blanks from Leopard tanks and self-propelled howitzers worth a few million euros lie on the floor in Hall 74. The fact that the armaments company has invited people to one of its very rare factory tours is also a sign to understand politics in order to show what is happening. “Faster armaments production is the order of the day,” said the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl (SPD), recently said and accused the industry of sitting back. Rheinmetall wants to contradict the impression, especially with the fact that a lot of capital flowed into production before there were orders.