Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall renew missile collaboration, eye European ‘center of excellence’
The renewed industrial co-operation follows a MoU signed in June 2024 to collaborate on rocket artillery and laser weapon systems, simulation and training for land vehicles and rotorcraft, alongside short-range air defense capabilities.
The Rheinmetall-Lockheed Martin GMARS mobile rocket system on display at Eurosatory 2024 in Paris. (Christina Mackenzie / Breaking Defense)
BELFAST — US giant Lockheed Martin and Germany’s Rheinmetall have announced plans to jointly establish a European rocket and missile production “centre of excellence” after extending a Memorandum of Understanding.
The new facility is planned to support “manufacturing and distribution of various rockets and missiles to enhance the security and self-reliance of Europe,” said Rheinmetall in a statement today.
Due to be based in Germany, the center is to be led by the manufacturer but will also operate in “other European countries,” it added. The statement did not disclose a timeline for the center to begin production, projected capacity or individual weapon systems to be manufactured.
Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin have started work to sort out the “best method” to setup the center, but a future review must be approved by the German and US governments before next steps can be implemented.
“This partnership reflects our steadfast commitment to advancing transatlantic security and delivering proven, cutting-edge capabilities to European allies,” said Ray Piselli, international vice president at Lockheed Martin. “This is a step toward helping our European customers meet their NATO commitments and by combining Rheinmetall’s deep regional expertise with Lockheed Martin’s advanced missile technologies, we’re creating a powerful foundation to meet evolving security needs.”
The renewed industrial co-operation follows a MoU signed in June 2024 to collaborate on rocket artillery and laser weapon systems, simulation and training for land vehicles and rotorcraft, alongside short-range air defense capabilities.
The closer ties also emerge in the wake of European countries reevaluating investments in US defense equipment, sparked by President Donald Trump’s call for the continent to do more for its own security by increasing defense spending and Europe’s own concerns that it cannot rely so much on the US.
Rheinmetall is a key contractor on Lockheed Martin’s F-35A fifth generation fighter jet program, with plans to produce, at minimum, 400 fuselages for German air force aircraft and other international customers. The fuselages are set to be manufactured out of a newly built facility in Weeze, a small city on Germany’s western border with the Netherlands, with production slated to begin in July.
Elsewhere, the two parties are also partners on the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System (GMARS) program. In March, they hosted a “summit” on the multiple rocket launcher platform for European customers, according to Lockheed Martin.
“Discussions on interoperability, a key focus of the summit, shared how GMARS can integrate with NATO systems, such as HIMARS and M270, to provide a comprehensive and flexible long range precision fires capability,” noted the manufacturer in a statement at the time.
Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall CEO, said last year that he was involved in talks with “four or five potential European customers” linked to GMARS sales, but did not disclose names.
