Rheinmetall to buy Lürssen yard’s naval business to move into warships

PARIS — Rheinmetall, Europe’s biggest supplier of ammunition and tank guns, plans to move into the business of warships with the purchase of the military division of German shipbuilder Lürssen Group.

The companies agreed on the key terms of an acquisition of Naval Vessels Lürssen, and aim to complete the deal in early 2026, subject to antitrust approval, Rheinmetall said in a statement late Sunday evening.

The parties didn’t disclose the purchase price.

While mainly known for land systems and ground-based weapons, Rheinmetall has been expanding in areas including drones, missiles well as parts for the F-35, as the company seeks to capitalize on increased defense spending in Europe.

NVL adds around €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) in annual sales in the naval domain, compared to Rheinmetall’s 2024 revenue of €9.75 billion.

“With this significant strategic acquisition, Rheinmetall is expanding its portfolio to include naval shipbuilding and strengthening its position as a leading supplier of defense technology in Germany and Europe,” the company said.

NVL operates four shipyards in northern Germany and employs around 2,100 people, and Rheinmetall said the yard is considered a pioneer in autonomous maritime surface systems.

The Lürssen unit in August announced a joint venture with Kraken Technology to scale up production of the British company’s unmanned surface vessels.

Rheinmetall already supplies equipment for naval forces, including simulation and protection systems. The company said it plans to meet the “massive increase” in demand from naval forces and rising defense-procurement budgets with “high-performance system solutions,” from vessels to electronics, sensors and effectors.

The acquisition is expected to bring synergy effects with Rheinmetall’s vehicle systems division resulting from shared materials and technology, while NVL’s shipyards add equipment capabilities for equipment capabilities and capacity reserves in automotive, according to the company.

“This enables Rheinmetall to minimize excessive infrastructure investments or extensive conversions of other production lines,” the company said.

NVL built the F125 Baden-Würtemberg class frigates in use with the Germany Navy, and is a subcontractor for the new F126 frigates, with delivery of the first vessel planned for 2028. The company has also built corvettes for the German and Bulgarian navies, with two oilers and three intelligence-gathering vessels under construction for the German forces.

Lürssen Group’s revenue was about 50-50 split between yachts and defense, CEO Peter Lürssen told Spear’s in a 2021 interview , with the yard building vessels such as the 180-meter super yacht Azzam and the 123-meter yacht Dilbar.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——欧洲最大的弹药和坦克炮供应商莱茵金属公司计划通过收购德国造船商吕尔森集团的军用部门进军军舰业务。

莱茵金属公司在周日晚间的一份声明中表示，双方已就收购海军舰艇吕尔森公司的关键条款达成一致，并计划在 2026 年初完成交易，但需获得反垄断机构的批准。

双方未透露购买价格。

莱茵金属公司虽然主要以陆地系统和地面武器而闻名，但该公司一直在无人机、导弹以及 F-35 战斗机的零部件等领域进行扩张，以期利用欧洲不断增长的国防开支。

NVL 在海军领域每年新增约 10 亿欧元（12 亿美元）的销售额，而莱茵金属公司 2024 年的收入为 97.5 亿欧元。

“通过这项重要的战略收购，莱茵金属公司正在扩大其业务范围，将海军造船纳入其中，并巩固其作为德国和欧洲领先的国防技术供应商的地位，”该公司表示。

NVL 在德国北部运营着四家造船厂，雇佣了约 2100 名员工。莱茵金属公司表示，该船厂被认为是自主海上水面系统的先驱。

吕尔森造船厂于 8 月宣布与 Kraken Technology 成立合资企业，以扩大这家英国公司无人水面舰艇的生产规模。

莱茵金属公司已为海军部队提供包括模拟和防护系统在内的设备。该公司表示，计划通过提供从舰艇到电子设备、传感器和效应器的“高性能系统解决方案”，来满足海军部队日益增长的需求以及不断上涨的国防采购预算。

据该公司称，此次收购预计将通过共享材料和技术，与莱茵金属的车辆系统部门产生协同效应，同时NVL的造船厂将增加汽车领域的设备能力和产能储备。

“这使得莱茵金属公司能够最大限度地减少基础设施的过度投资或对其他生产线的大规模改造，”该公司表示。

NVL公司为德国海军建造了F125巴登-符腾堡级护卫舰，并且是新型F126级护卫舰的分包商，首舰计划于2028年交付。该公司还为德国和保加利亚海军建造了轻型护卫舰，目前还有两艘油轮和三艘情报搜集舰正在为德国海军建造中。

吕尔森集团首席执行官彼得·吕尔森在 2021 年接受 Spear's 采访时表示，吕尔森集团的收入大约一半来自游艇，一半来自国防，该船厂建造了诸如 180 米超级游艇 Azzam 和 123 米游艇 Dilbar 等船只。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。