Newspress

Fresh sales successes for Rheinmetall in artillery ammunition
Total order value in the double-digit million-euro range
Rheinmetall has just won two new contracts in the indirect fire ammunition domain. An international customer has ordered propellant charges worth around euros40 million from Rheinmetall Denel Munition, the Group's South African subsidiary. Another customer, a NATO state, has placed an order with Rheinmetall Denel Munition for its tried-and-tested Assegai 155mm ammunition. This order is worth around euros17 million. The Assegai family of artillery ammunition can be fired from any NATO STANAG-compatible artillery system, including the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer.

"We're very pleased that two customers - including a NATO member state and a non-NATO country - have again placed their trust in our globally proven Assegai indirect fire technology", says Jan-Patrick Helmsen, managing director of Rheinmetall Denel Munition. "As a systems maker, we work constantly to improve our cutting-edge technologies so that we can provide our customers' soldiers with the very best, most reliable solutions possible."

Back in 2019, Rheinmetall succeeded in setting a new maximum range record in South Africa with the Assegai family and other Group products like the new Extended Range Charge from Rheinmetall's subsidiary Nitrochemie AG. Thanks to the Assegai system approach - from fuse to projectile to propelling charges - long ranges were attained with various artillery systems. A non-NATO 155mm artillery gun with 52 calibre lengths and a 25-litre propelling charge chamber achieved a record range of 76 kilometres.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition is already working on other future artillery technologies. For example, the rocket motor in conventional 155mm Assegai projectiles is being improved. In addition to this, a new development is on the way that will boost the maximum range to over 155 kilometres

Major contract
International customer orders air defence systems from Rheinmetall - order value in the double-digit million euro rangeRheinmetall has been contracted by an international customer to supply air defence systems. The supplies also include ammunition and spare parts. The order value is in the mid double-digit million euro range.

The order is of great importance to Rheinmetall. It underscores the high degree of confidence in Rheinmetall's world-leading expertise in the field of ground-based air defence.

Rheinmetall is one of the world's leading manufacturers of advanced air defence systems. In automatic cannon-based air defence, the company is the market leader and the only comprehensive systems supplier for fire control technology, automatic cannons, integrated guided missiles and Ahead airburst ammunition. Air surveillance systems and radar technology, powerful sensor technology and high-energy laser effectors round off the portfolio.

Teaming for tactical drones
Rheinmetall and AeroVironment join forces to compete for NATO special forces project
Rheinmetall and AeroVironment, an American unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer, have teamed to take part in a NATO special forces project. Group subsidiary Rheinmetall Technical Publications GmbH and AeroVironment have applied to participate in a procurement programme for a small UAS intended for special operations and infantry applications.

The system must be capable of operating in all conditions and environments, quick to deploy, hand launchable, have a maximum weight of ten kilos, and an operating range of 30 kilometres.

Rheinmetall and AeroVironment are ideally suited for developing and putting forward a compelling solution. AeroVironment is an industry leader in the design, development and production of unmanned aircraft systems. Its PumaTM 3 AE UAS is in operation with armed forces around the world, while its modular concept offers the optimum platform for a small UAS for special forces.

A certified aviation technology company, Rheinmetall Technical Publications is a systems house for tactical drones. Benefiting from decades long experience, Rheinmetall has the necessary expertise to introduce, support, and adapt drone systems to meet customer specifications.

Rheinmetall joint venture wins first customer with multimillion-euro order for DC-link capacitors with forward-looking NanoLam technologyRheinmetall PolyCharge GmbH, a joint venture of Rheinmetall AG and PolyCharge America, Inc., has received its first order in the mid double-digit million euro range one year after it was founded. Its first customer, a well-known, globally operating supplier to the automotive industry, has ordered two different DC-link capacitors for applications in the 900V range, which are produced with the innovative NanoLam technology. The technology group Rheinmetall holds a 75 % stake in Rheinmetall Polycharge GmbH.

The order was already booked in December 2022 and includes development services as well as subsequent sample and full-scale production, which starts in 2026 and will run for several years. In winning this order, Rheinmetall PolyCharge GmbH overcame competitors from around the world. The joint venture expects further orders in the near future.

PolyCharge NanoLam technology enables capacitors that are half the weight and half the size of conventional polypropylene solutions. They are also able to operate at higher temperaures: capacitors with NanoLam technology feature an extremely thin, dielectric polymer coating that assures optimum cooling and thermal stability as well as improved power density. The capacitors form part of the power electronics in e-cars and offer advantages in terms of volume and weight.

DC-link capacitors, also known as intermediate circuit capacitors, are used to stabilize the DC voltage and to limit fluctuations in a vehicle's electrical system. They are not only used in hybrid and electric vehicles, but also in various industrial applications, such as voltage converters in wind energy and PV systems.

Now official, the order sets in motion the start of full-scale production for the first time at Rheinmetall PolyCharge GmbH, a joint venture founded last year by Rheinmetall and the American start-up company PolyCharge America, Inc. An initial order of this magnitude vindicates Rheinmetall's strategy of transformation as an innovative supplier of subsystems and components for the fast-growing markets of electromobility and other industrial applications.

Multimillion-euro contract for Rheinmetall
Finland orders Spike guided missiles
The Finnish armed forces have contracted with EuroSpike GmbH, a joint venture of Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH, Diehl Defence, and Rafael, to supply Spike antitank guided missiles. For Rheinmetall, the order is worth a figure in the mid-double-digit million-euro range.

Of great importance for Rheinmetall, this order also underscores the tremendous trust placed in EuroSpike GmbH: the German-Israeli joint venture is now an industrial mainstay of the antitank capability of many EU and NATO member nations.

The German armed forces were among the first Spike users. A version of the system known as the Mehrrollenfähiges Leichtes Lenkflugkörpersystem (MELLS; multi-role light guided missile system) is in service with the Bundeswehr. Made by EuroSpike - a joint venture in which Rheinmetall holds a 40% stake - the MELLS is a latest-generation effector designed for engaging armoured targets at ranges of up to 4,000 metres or, depending on the model, up to 5,500 metres.

Rheinmetall possesses extensive experience with the MELLS. The company has already integrated this advanced guided missile into various combat vehicles.