Rheinmetall Denel Munition will produce and supply around €130 million worth of 155 mm artillery rounds for an international customer, with deliveries taking place up to the end of 2019.
The contract was announced by Rheinmetall Defence on 22 January. The company said the order encompasses the Rheinmetall Group’s full spectrum of projectile variants as well as the accompanying propelling charges.
Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM), which is tasked with production, has four facilities in South Africa. The factory at Somerset West produces propellants, Wellington produces chemicals, Boksburg makes forgings and Boskop does filling. Apart from steel forgings cast at its Boksburg facility that are used by Rheinmetall subsidiaries worldwide, RDM also supplies fellow Denel Group company PMP with military grade powder for its range of small calibre ammunition.
In addition to producing a wide variety of ammunition such as the 105 and 155 mm artillery shells, 60, 81 and 120 mm mortars, 40 x 51 mm grenades and 76/62 mm shells and mine breaching systems, RDM also builds two to three ammunition filling plants a year for export. RDM also manufactures missile subsystems, and provided the rocket motor for the FZ-90 rocket. The company offers rocket fuse, warhead and motor capabilities.
The company is the sole supplier to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of 105 and 155 mm artillery munitions, aircraft bombs, naval ammunition as well as armour and various mortars.
The Rheinmetall Denel Munition venture is 51% owned by Rheinmetall and 49% by Denel.
Rheinmetall is active in 85 countries around the world and uses these connections to drive business to RDM – this is the key to RDM’s success, as it leverages off marketing efforts and relationships Rheinmetall has forged elsewhere in the world.
