Germany plans to spend $22B by 2031 to purchase new ammunition

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Germany will spend €20 billion ($22 billion) by 2031 to purchase new ammunition, local media reported.

"Without ammunition, the most modern weapons systems are of no use, even if they are ready for use in the yard," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the Spiegel news magazine on Monday.

According to the magazine, this also concerns artillery ammunition for the self-propelled Howitzer 2000, which is also used in Ukraine.

The 155-millimeter shells for it are scarce, and the military’s stocks are also thinned out. In June, the German parliament approved several framework contracts worth billions for artillery and tank ammunition.

Under Pistorius' predecessor Christine Lambrecht, slow orders had led to sharp criticism.

Among other things, the German military had ordered several hundred thousand artillery shells from the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, as well as large quantities of ammunition for the Leopard 2 main battle tank, which is also used by the Ukrainian army.

The Dusseldorf-based company says it is planning a major investment offensive to fill the empty stocks of the German and the Ukrainian armies.

"We want to get our act together as early as next year," Rheinmetall chief Armin Pappberger told Spiegel on Monday. "We will ramp up our annual production to 600,000 units," he added.

According to Pappberger, his company alone will produce 60% of the shells needed in Ukraine. The first deliveries of €127 million worth of combat and training ammunition are expected to begin soon.