Fighter plane
Rheinmetall starts as a supplier for tarpaulin bombers
The fighter jet F-35 can hardly be seen on the radar, the high-tech product comes from America-and sometimes in the future also from the Lower Rhine in the far west of Germany.
The armaments group Rheinmetall has built a factory of around 200 million euros for a central part of the F-35 Tarnkappenbomber. CEO Armin Papperger announced at the Weeze (NRW) plant that production will start in a few days – “maybe tomorrow”.
Rheinmetall works as a supplier of the US group Northrop Grumman, which has so far produced the fuselage parts consisting of around 300,000 individual parts in the United States. The F-35 is considered the most modern fighter jet in the world, Germany has ordered 35 of them. They are supposed to replace outdated tornado aircraft.
Rheinmetall’s core business currently consists of artillery, tanks, ammunition and anti-aircraft guns. Germany’s largest armaments group, which is growing strongly as a result of the Ukraine war, widens its portfolio and also increases more on drones, satellites and aviation-the collaboration with Northrop Grumman and the F-35 general contractor Lockheed Martin is an important step.
Production is gradually being raised
30 fuselage products are to be built in normal operation each year, with an additional layer it could be more. “Up to 36 of these heart for the most versatile and most powerful fighter jet in the world, we want to produce every year in Weeze,” said Rheinmetall boss Papperger and was confident that Germany would also reorder.
The construction of the two -ton middle part is a complicated thing, after a number of technical preparatory work and different production steps, the first fuselage part is delivered according to the plan in autumn 2026. It goes to the United States, where the fighter plane is mounted with all other components and should be unobtrusive for the radar.
So far, 200 people have been working in the immediate vicinity of Weeze Airport, and more than 400 in autumn 2026. Rheinmetall has a kind of framework contract for 400 F-35 fuselage parts that are to be built in a period of 17 to 20 years. Production is gradually raised.
NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst came to the construction celebration as a guest. “The transatlantic alliance is not always easy these days,” said the CDU politician. But the cooperation of Rheinmetall with the US armaments corporations is the best proof that the transatlantic connection works and it is closer and trusting.
dpa
Source: Stern
