Speeding up is no problem Rheinmetall CEO Papperger sees defence industry well prepared

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According to Rheinmetall's Armin Papperger, the German arms industry is in a position to expand production quickly if necessary, despite the relatively short-term increase in demand for weapons.

If the orders are there, stated Rheinmetall manager Armin Papperger at the Hannover Messe, German industry will also be able to deliver. His company has already been able to prove this in its automotive supplier division, he noted. To name one example: Rheinmetall has already increased its production of artillery ammunition more than tenfold since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, according to Papperger, this also involves huge investments. And his company made some of these without a written order - simply with a handshake! The contract only came afterwards. Papperger is certain that if you enjoy this trust, you can also get the production engines up to full speed quickly enough.

When demand for weapons increases, prices fall

According to Papperger, this is also necessary. For too long, we have relied solely on nuclear deterrence and sat on our hands in the conventional sector. Now we have had to learn to change course in a short space of time. In his experience, weapons technology in particular is developing and changing rapidly - with drones, for example. The industry must react quickly to this and develop everything rapidly, he continues. Papperger is confident that the prices paid by the German armed forces, for example, will fall. This is because all the orders from Germany and other European countries will automatically increase the volume, which will reduce costs. This can already be observed in the case of artillery ammunition. However, the Rheinmetall CEO's speech was interrupted several times by heckling. And right at the beginning there were chants of "Never again war" and "Never again compulsory military service". Several troublemakers were even carried out of the event area by security forces.

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Rheinmetall controls vehicle in Düsseldorf from Hanover

In Hanover, Rheinmetall is demonstrating, among other things, how vehicles can be controlled remotely from a great distance. To this end, a control center has been set up from which a vehicle can be moved in real time at Rheinmetall's Düsseldorf site. As is well known, the topic of armaments is represented at this year's Hannover Messe for the first time with its own focus. In the so-called Defence Production Park, there are around 40 companies on 1,200 square meters who want to demonstrate how the rapid ramp-up of armaments production can work. Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius (SPD) had already visited the industrial show on the opening day. For the trade fair company, the new area is also a foretaste of the security and defence trade fair Defence & Security Equipment International Germany, which is set to take place in Hanover for the first time in March 2027.