Rheinmetall
German defense technology group.
Rheinmetall is a German defense technology group and recipient of European Defence Fund awards including €47M for the IPCP propellant project and €20.56M for the ProMa shell-production line project. In July 2026 it secured a contract to manufacture complete weapon-system assemblies for 72 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers for the British Army (RCH 155 is a joint product of ARTEC GmbH, Rheinmetall's Boxer-family JV with KNDS Deutschland), built at its new gun-production facility in Telford, England. It also supplies 155mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine under a mid-2026 contract, and in August 2026 unveiled the GMF 140 guided-missile frigate (140 meters, Aegis Combat System, 64 Strike-Length VLS cells) targeting North American naval procurement. A June 2025 drone-development partnership with Anduril was scaled back as of July 2026. In July 2026 Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin signed an MOU to jointly produce ATACMS missiles at Rheinmetall's Unterluess plant, working toward a formal European JV backed by the US government, targeting 2027 production. Rheinmetall sold its Power Systems automotive division (Pierburg, Kolbenschmidt, Motorservice) to AEQUITA for €350M (signed June 2026), exiting automotive. It completed its acquisition of naval shipbuilder NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen) on March 2, 2026, inheriting NVL's lead-contractor exposure to Germany's F126 frigate program (up to €12.8B potential value); Germany cancelled F126 on June 24, 2026 after ~€2.3B spent, choosing 8 Meko A-200 frigates from TKMS instead, prompting Rheinmetall to cut FY2026 sales guidance by €300M (to €13.7–14.2B) on August 6, 2026.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Dusseldorf, Germany
- Founded
- 1889
- Employees
- ~34,000 (Rheinmetall official, continuing operations, status May 2026)
- Total funding
- Public
- Stage
- Public
- Status
- public
- Domains
- Land systems, Munitions, Defense electronics
Founders0
No linked records yet.
Investors0
No linked records yet.
Cap table5
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
UBS Group AG | Common | ~20.0% |
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | Common | ~20.0% |
Morgan Stanley | Common | ~20.0% |
Bank of America Corporation | Common | ~20.0% |
BlackRock, Inc. | Common | ~20.0% |
Contracts5
- ContractRCH 155 Weapon System Production — British ArmyContract for Rheinmetall to manufacture complete 155mm L/52 remote-controlled weapon assemblies for all 72 British Army RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzers, valued in the low three-digit million-euro range.
- Contract155mm Artillery Ammunition Supply — UkraineHigh double-digit million-euro contract for Rheinmetall to supply 155mm ER02A1 B/B projectiles and M203 propellant charges to Ukraine, manufactured at Rheinmetall Expal Munitions (Spain).
- ContractProject Sustainment UGV ContractUS Army contract awarded to American Rheinmetall (US subsidiary) for unmanned ground vehicle sustainment support.
- ContractBundeswehr Logistics Vehicle OrderBundeswehr order for approximately 2,000 logistics vehicles from Rheinmetall.
- ContractElefant 2 (HX81) Heavy Transporter OrderBundeswehr order for 56 Elefant 2 (HX81) heavy transporter vehicles.
Frequently asked
- What does Rheinmetall do?
- Rheinmetall is a German defense technology group and recipient of European Defence Fund awards including €47M for the IPCP propellant project and €20.56M for the ProMa shell-production line project. In July 2026 it secured a contract to manufacture complete weapon-system assemblies for 72 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers for the British Army (RCH 155 is a joint product of ARTEC GmbH, Rheinmetall's Boxer-family JV with KNDS Deutschland), built at its new gun-production facility in Telford, England. It also supplies 155mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine under a mid-2026 contract, and in August 2026 unveiled the GMF 140 guided-missile frigate (140 meters, Aegis Combat System, 64 Strike-Length VLS cells) targeting North American naval procurement. A June 2025 drone-development partnership with Anduril was scaled back as of July 2026. In July 2026 Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin signed an MOU to jointly produce ATACMS missiles at Rheinmetall's Unterluess plant, working toward a formal European JV backed by the US government, targeting 2027 production. Rheinmetall sold its Power Systems automotive division (Pierburg, Kolbenschmidt, Motorservice) to AEQUITA for €350M (signed June 2026), exiting automotive. It completed its acquisition of naval shipbuilder NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen) on March 2, 2026, inheriting NVL's lead-contractor exposure to Germany's F126 frigate program (up to €12.8B potential value); Germany cancelled F126 on June 24, 2026 after ~€2.3B spent, choosing 8 Meko A-200 frigates from TKMS instead, prompting Rheinmetall to cut FY2026 sales guidance by €300M (to €13.7–14.2B) on August 6, 2026.
- Where is Rheinmetall headquartered?
- Rheinmetall is headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany and was founded in 1889.
- What does Rheinmetall specialize in?
- Rheinmetall works across Land systems, Munitions, Defense electronics.
- Does Rheinmetall hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Rheinmetall to 5 government contracts and 1 program.
Tags
Sources & citations13
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
BlackRock 7.33% (Mar 2026), Bank of America 4.64% (Apr 2024), Morgan Stanley 4.37% (May 2025), Goldman Sachs 4.06% (Nov 2025), UBS 3.83% (May 2022) — WpHG voting-rights notifications; each date is when the threshold was crossed, not necessarily current live ownership
Rheinmetall Group: Stimmrechtsmitteilungen (Voting Rights Notifications)Verified2026-03-04 - 2
Rheinmetall employee headcount estimated at ~32,251 as of 2026 (aggregator estimate)
RocketReach: Rheinmetall AG InformationReported2026-08-01 - 3
Rheinmetall unveils the GMF 140, a 140-meter guided-missile frigate integrating the Aegis Combat System with 64 Strike-Length VLS cells, targeting North American naval procurement
Defence Blog: Rheinmetall unveils new frigate packed with destroyer firepowerVerified2026-08-03 - 4
Rheinmetall's own announcement of the GMF 140 next-generation frigate
Rheinmetall (Official): Unveiling of the GMF 140 - the next-generation frigateVerified2026-08-03 - 5
Anduril's year-old strategic partnership with Rheinmetall — to co-develop European variants of the Barracuda and Fury platforms — has been significantly scaled back; neither company has commented on why
Bloomberg: Anduril's Year-Old Rheinmetall Drone Partnership Is Scaled BackVerified2026-07-23 - 6
Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin sign MOU to jointly produce ATACMS missiles in Europe at the Unterluess plant, moving toward a formal joint venture backed by the US government
Rheinmetall (Official): Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin plan to produce ATACMSVerified2026-07-07 - 7
Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall move forward with ATACMS co-production in Europe
Lockheed Martin (Official): Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall Move Forward with ATACMS Co-Production in EuropeVerified2026-07-07 - 8
Rheinmetall completes sale of 100% of its Power Systems automotive division (Pierburg, Kolbenschmidt, Motorservice) to AEQUITA
Rheinmetall (Official): Deal finalised: Rheinmetall divests its civilian divisionVerified2026-06-03 - 9
Independent coverage of Rheinmetall's automotive divestiture and continued defense-sector focus
The Defense Post: Germany auto sector RheinmetallVerified2026-06-10 - 10
Rheinmetall takes over NVL – closing completed
Rheinmetall (Official): Rheinmetall takes over NVL – Closing completedVerified2026-03-02 - 11
Germany cancels F126 frigate program after ~€2.3bn spent, opts for 8 TKMS Meko A-200 frigates instead
Bloomberg: Germany to Scrap F126 Frigate Deal, Opts for Eight TKMS Meko-200 WarshipsVerified2026-06-24 - 12
Rheinmetall trims FY2026 sales guidance by €300M directly citing the F126 cancellation
CNBC: Rheinmetall stock volatile after trimming guidance as Germany's F126 warship cancellation hits sales outlookVerified2026-08-06 - 13
Rheinmetall official employee count: ~34,000, continuing operations, status May 2026
Rheinmetall (Official): Our responsibility – Our employeesVerified2026