Missiles for Patriot will be produced in Europe

As Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger explained, negotiations are currently underway to create a joint venture in which his company intends to acquire a 60 percent stake.

The reason for this decision is the lack of production capacity in the US to meet European demand. Therefore, both partners want to create a European "Center of Competence" for missiles.

Sometimes you have to wait ten years to get missiles from America, which is too long,” explains Papperger.

In early May, it became known that the companies had signed a memorandum that envisages the creation of a European center of competence for the production and distribution of missiles and missile systems in order to strengthen the security and independence of Europe.

Possible candidates for production include ATACMS, GMLRS/GMLRS-ER, Hellfire, JAGM, and PAC-3 missiles.

According to Rheinmetall CEO estimates, the production line will be ready in 12-13 months. Final assembly will also take place there. Research and development work will be carried out jointly with Lockheed Martin, which means that the intellectual property rights will also be located in Europe.

Lockheed Martin is currently ceasing production of the ATACMS as it begins to ramp up production of the PrSM, the missile that will replace the ATACMS in the US arsenal. Therefore, the possibility of fulfilling the remaining US contracts at the new plant is being discussed. Papperger explained that this will involve directly obtaining ATACMS production lines from the US.

He predicted that the capacity for the production of new engines will be quickly loaded, especially given the high demand for Patriot missiles in Ukraine. According to his estimates, the current need for missiles is: 600-800 ATACMS, about 2,500 GMLRS, 5,000 Hellfire, 5,200 JAGM and 250-300 PAC-3 MSE per year.

Asked about the possible creation of a “Center of Competence” for missile production, the American company Lockheed Martin said it was working with its European allies to identify opportunities for cooperation. According to company representatives, since negotiations are still ongoing, any details reported are preliminary and unofficial.

It is worth noting that one Patriot missile production plant is already under construction in Germany, the MBDA plant in Schrobenhausen. It is planned to produce GEM-T missiles ordered by European governments there. They have a longer range against aerodynamic targets than the PAC-3 MSE, but are not as effective at intercepting ballistic missiles.