Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall to produce ATACMS missiles in Germany

Lockheed Martin and German defence contractor Rheinmetall signed a memorandum of understanding at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara to create the first European centre of excellence for the production, integration and distribution of Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. The joint venture will establish a manufacturing hub at Rheinmetall’s Unterlüß plant in Lower Saxony, with rocket‑motor and missile‑component production slated to begin in 2027.

The project is backed by the United States and German governments and aligns with a parallel initiative to set up a PAC‑3 interceptor maintenance facility involving Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. ATACMS are short‑range ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 km that have been supplied to Ukraine. By localising production, the partners aim to strengthen Europe’s defence industrial base, improve supply security for NATO allies and enhance long‑term strategic autonomy.

The agreement was announced alongside broader NATO discussions on European defence resilience, signalling a deepening of trans‑atlantic industrial cooperation and a new source of advanced missile capability for European forces.