The joint venture centers on Rheinmetall’s historic Unterluess site in Germany, a facility currently home to 4,000 employees and the company’s largest private firing range. Plans for the site are ambitious: production of rocket motors and missile components is scheduled to commence as early as 2027. This move marks a strategic shift, transitioning from reliance on the Camden, Arkansas production line toward localized manufacturing for NATO and allied forces.
Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall to Launch European ATACMS Production
Locked in by a new memorandum of understanding, Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall are set to establish the first European facility for the manufacture and integration of ATACMS guided missiles. The project, announced at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, aims to bolster regional supply chains and long-term defense resilience.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, noted the initiative is designed to strengthen European defense autonomy and meet the surging demand for modern weapon systems. While the new facility scales up, Lockheed Martin will continue its U.S.-based operations to ensure uninterrupted supply. The partnership combines American missile technology with German industrial capacity, a collaboration described by Lockheed Martin International president Jay Pitman as a watershed moment for allied industrial cooperation.
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