Rheinmetall, the leading weapons producer in Europe, intends to build a “defense ecosystem in Romania” and massively expand its presence in the country with the production of vehicles, military ships, ammunition, air defense systems, and explosives, according to Nick Știrban, Rheinmetall’s representative in Romania, in an interview given to Mediafax.
Over 2,500 additional jobs will be created in Romania as part of this expansion.
Rheinmetall already manufactures components in Romania for various vehicles in Mediaș, such as the wheeled armored vehicle Caracal or Lynx. The company also operates a maintenance center and service hub in Satu Mare for German equipment sent to Ukraine. In addition, it will build a powder factory for ammunition in the town of Victoria, Brasov County.
Aside from its own developments, the company has already developed a network of local suppliers.
“The localization process through Rheinmetall has already begun. Rheinmetall involves the local industry in the production process, including through technology and know-how transfer,” stated Nick Știrban.
Over 100 Romanian companies are integrated into the German company’s partner portfolio, according to the company representative.
In the future, Rheinmetall plans to build a defense ecosystem in Romania.
“This will by no means be limited only to vehicles, but will include, for example, military ships, ammunition, air defense systems, or the manufacture of explosives. In this way, Rheinmetall will create over 2,500 additional jobs in Romania, which horizontally will grow exponentially and sustainably by 3-4 times,” he said.
The company aims to create local production units in Romania for ammunition, armored vehicles, and equipment for the maritime and aerospace industry.
“We will not just build factories; we are building the future of Romanian engineering and the defense industry. We want ‘Made in Romania’ to become a standard of excellence in NATO armies. In case of crisis, Romania will not wait for spare parts from abroad, as it will have in-house maintenance and production capacity,” said Nick Știrban.
One of the possible expansion projects includes the ailing Damen Shipyards Mangalia, indirectly controlled by the Ministry of Economy.
Founded in 1889, Rheinmetall AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, had almost EUR 10 billion in sales in 2025 and around 33,000 employees worldwide.
(Photo source: Tobias Arhelger|Dreamstime.com)
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