Rheinmetall AG

Additional Details

Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest German and fifth-largest European arms manufacturer, and produces a variety of armored fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, in both wheeled and tracked versions, as well as warships through Blohm+Voss. It also manufactures artillery, air defense systems, anti-tank weapons and ammunition. The company is the primary supplier of 120mm tank and artillery shells designated for "Merkava" tanks, especially after the Israeli Ministry of Defense repeatedly requested Germany to secure thousands of precision shells during the ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip. The company maintains close strategic partnerships with Israeli defense firms such as Elbit Systems and Rafael. It directly integrates Israeli weapon systems—such as Spike missiles and loitering munitions (suicide drones)—into its famous combat vehicles like the "Lynx" armored vehicle and the "Panther" tank. The company has a partnership with another South African company, Denel, establishing the joint venture under the name Rheinmetall Denel Munition. A report indicates that the South African company exports ammunition to Israel via Germany. However, South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) asserts that the country does not export weapons to Israel, and that the granted licenses (to Germany, for instance) do not authorize re-exportation to conflict-ridden countries, such as Israel and Ukraine. -- Listed on FRA (RHM), Rheinmetall AG is backed by leading sovereign wealth funds, most notably NBIM.