German Cartel Office approves Rheinmetall’s foray into Ukraine

COLOGNE, Germany — German defense contractor Rheinmetall has cleared a review by the federal Cartel Office to operate a maintenance plant in Ukraine, as more European arms makers consider setting up shop in the war-torn country.

The decision will enable the Düsseldorf-based company to enter into a joint venture with Ukrainian Defence Industry group, formerly Ukroboronprom, which will be based in Kyiv once all regulatory agencies here have cleared the plans.

Rheinmetall’s footprint in Ukraine will initially enable the maintenance and repair of weapons and vehicles donated to Kyiv by Germany. Also covered is German-made equipment transferred from other countries under Berlin’s “Ringtausch” arms-swapping program.

CEO Armin Papperger has previously said the company also has ambitions to build its own lineup of military combat vehicles in Ukraine, such as the Panther battle tank or the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle.

The joint venture in Ukraine could also involve new, cooperative equipment developments at a later time, with an eye on the export market, Rheinmetall said in a statement.

“Cooperation between Rheinmetall and the Ukrainian defense industry is designed to strengthen Ukraine’s defense sector and ultimately the country’s national security by gradually building joint capabilities in defense technology in Ukraine,” it said. “Under the agreement, Ukraine will benefit from comprehensive technology transfers; from the creation of defense technology capabilities at home; from additional local value added; and from the prompt delivery of military equipment from Germany.”

A company spokesman declined to name which government offices besides the Cartel Office are involved in the ongoing government review, saying only the remaining approvals were expected shortly. Also left unanswered was a question about when the envisioned plant could start work and whether Rheinmetall plans to build new facilities.

Several European companies, including Finland’s Patria and Sweden’s BAE Systems Hägglunds, have said they are evaluating options for local production or maintenance of weapons and vehicles in Ukraine. As with Rheinmetall, the plans have been nebulous on the timing, though they appear to be geared at long-term support for a post-war Ukrainian military, whenever that will come to pass.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——德国国防承包商莱茵金属公司已通过联邦卡特尔办公室的审查，获准在乌克兰运营一家维修厂。与此同时，越来越多的欧洲武器制造商正在考虑在这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家设立工厂。

该决定将使这家总部位于杜塞尔多夫的公司能够与乌克兰国防工业集团（前身为乌克兰国防工业公司）成立合资企业，该合资企业将在基辅设立，前提是所有监管机构都批准该计划。

莱茵金属公司在乌克兰的业务初期将主要负责维护和修理德国捐赠给基辅的武器和车辆。此外，该公司还负责根据柏林的“环美武器交换”计划从其他国家转移的德国制造装备。

首席执行官阿明·帕佩格尔此前曾表示，该公司还有志在乌克兰打造自己的军用作战车辆系列，例如“黑豹”主战坦克或“山猫”步兵战车。

莱茵金属公司在一份声明中表示，与乌克兰的合资企业未来可能还会合作开发新的设备，以开拓出口市场。

声明称：“莱茵金属公司与乌克兰国防工业的合作旨在通过在乌克兰逐步建立国防技术联合能力，加强乌克兰的国防工业，并最终提升乌克兰的国家安全。根据协议，乌克兰将受益于全面的技术转让；在国内建立国防技术能力；获得额外的本地增值；以及从德国及时获得军事装备。”

公司发言人拒绝透露除反垄断局外还有哪些政府部门参与了正在进行的政府审查，仅表示预计很快将获得剩余的审批。此外，关于拟建工厂何时能够开工以及莱茵金属公司是否计划建设新设施等问题也未得到解答。

包括芬兰的帕特里亚公司和瑞典的BAE系统公司哈格隆德分公司在内的多家欧洲公司表示，他们正在评估在乌克兰本地生产或维护武器和车辆的方案。与莱茵金属公司一样，这些计划的具体时间安排尚不明确，但其目标似乎是为战后乌克兰军队提供长期支持，无论乌克兰何时重建军队。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。