The CEO of the Joint-Stock Company Ukrainian Defense Industry (JSC “UDI”), Herman Smetanin, announced the deepening of cooperation with the German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall in the repair of military equipment.
“The joint venture with Rheinmetall is actively working and showing good results in repairing combat vehicles. Therefore, we are deepening cooperation with our partners in this area. We discussed this during a meeting with the CEO of Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, Björn Bernhard. The discussion focused on expanding the production capabilities of the repair hub,” Smetanin wrote on Facebook on Friday following the meeting.
The parties also discussed expanding the range of products serviced at the joint venture’s facilities.
Previously, in September, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Denys Shmyhal, reported that during a meeting with the head of German Rheinmetall AG, Armin Papperger, at the Defence Security and Equipment International Exhibition and Conference (DSEI) in London, the procedure for launching a new joint venture was finalized.
“On September 9, land was allocated in a safe region of Ukraine where a new Rheinmetall ammunition plant will be built to meet the needs of the Defense Forces. We also discussed other important projects, including the development of capabilities for the repair and production of armored vehicles,” the Prime Minister said at the time.
Last year, Papperger stated that Rheinmetall is building four weapons manufacturing plants in Ukraine. During a meeting with him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted successful cases of joint vehicle repairs and localized production.
