Germany will manufacture American ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers, and these will be marketed in Europe, according to an agreement signed on Tuesday in Ankara by American armament manufacturers Lockheed Martin and German Rheinmetall, reports the EFE agency, according to Agerpres.
Before the start of the NATO summit in the Turkish capital, the two companies signed a memorandum to establish a joint venture for the creation of the first European center dedicated to the “production, integration, and distribution of ATACMS missiles for NATO forces and European allies,” Rheinmetall states in a press release.
The CEO of the German company, Armin Papperger, specified that the production of these rockets will be established at his factory in Unterluss, in northwestern Germany.
In turn, the executive director of Lockheed Martin for Europe, Dennis Goege, said that “bringing the ATACMS co-production to Germany is a strong signal for the European defense industry and for the long-term resilience of NATO.”
This will be the first ATACMS missile production unit outside the United States.
The ATACMS missiles, which have a range of 300 kilometers and are launched using the HIMARS ground systems, were extensively used by Ukraine in the war with Russia. After prolonged hesitation, the administration of former American President Joe Biden authorized the supply of such missiles to Kiev at the end of 2024. Ukraine also requested long-range American Tomahawk missiles, but Washington did not respond to the request.
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