Germany Overtakes US in Ammunition Production Capacity

Germany can now produce more ammunition than the U.S., says the boss of German defense giant Rheinmetall, as a massive rearmament campaign gets underway in Europe.

Rheinmetall has more than quadrupled its annual production of medium-caliber ammunition, and ramped up output of artillery rounds to 1.1 million - up from 70,000, chief executive Armin Papperger told reporters last week according to German media.

Newsweek has sought confirmation of the remarks from the weapons manufacturer.

European countries are rushing to refill military stockpiles after President Donald Trump last year warned NATO members they needed to spend more on defense and rely less on the U.S.

Europe has for decades relied heavily on Washington’s military assets on the continent, including expensive defence systems provided by the U.S. military.

But the U.S. has made it clear it wants to concentrate on the Indo-Pacific and the threat posed by China’s powerful military, rather than propping up Europe.

The Trump administration withdrew significant weapons and military support for Ukraine last year, and is currently tied up with the lengthening conflict in the Middle East, with the Iran war now entering a third month.

But even prior to the Iran war, European countries had announced their plans to build up their own defence capabilities and sufficiency.

Concerns over whether the U.S. under Trump would come to Europe’s aid in the event of Russian aggression, have fueled political momentum to make the continent’s armed forces more formidable, particularly as European countries have been transferring their ammunition, tanks, and other military equipment to Ukraine these past four years.

Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has said Europe should rely less on the U.S. Since winning election in March 2025, he has driven a major push to increase German defence spending, a break from the country’s decades-long post World War Two demilitirization policy.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week Germany was now planning to have “the strongest conventional army in Europe” by 2039- a century on from the start of World War Two.

Ammunition is currently in high demand across Western armies – particularly rounds for artillery systems which protect troops in battle and hit high-value targets like depots and command centers.

Rheinmetall says it has been increasing its production of ammunition since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 4:57 AM.