Rheinmetall's Italian Opening: Rome Talks Tarent Role as Skyranger Slips and Factories Hum

Published on 10/29/2026 at 07:51 | Editorial boerse-global.de

Rheinmetall Italia held Tarent talks; Leonardo JV awaits EUR 3.7bn army contracts; Skyranger delays led Bundeswehr to order 48 Diehl GARMR systems.

Rheinmetalls, Italian, Opening, Rome, Talks, Tarent, Role, Skyranger, Slips, Factories Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Rheinmetall's Italian arm spent Tuesday in talks with the government in Rome over possible industrial projects around the former Ilva steelworks in Tarent, according to media reports. The government asked Rheinmetall Italia — alongside Leonardo, Ferrovie dello Stato and Fincantieri — to contribute to the revitalisation effort, holding out the prospect of both short- and long-term projects. Any concrete role for Rheinmetall Italia remains a possibility floated in the report rather than a signed order.

The Tarent discussions sit alongside a far firmer Italian thread. Reuters reported roughly a week ago that the Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles joint venture is set to land two contracts with the Italian army worth a combined EUR 3.7 billion, covering A2CS combat vehicles and main battle tanks. Rheinmetall has not confirmed the award. The two partners split the venture down the middle. Rheinmetall supplies the chassis, Leonardo the turret — a 30-mm-armed module — and media reports put the overall order at 51 vehicles following the latest call-off.

Skyranger Setback Hands Diehl a Stopgap

On the German home front, the picture is less comfortable. Media reports on Friday flagged delays to Rheinmetall's Skyranger drone-defence system, prompting the Bundeswehr to order 48 GARMR counter-drone systems from Diehl as an interim solution. The Skyranger programme's timing has become a live question for a company whose pitch to investors rests heavily on air-defence demand.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Rheinmetall?

Shipyard Win and Fresh Production Lines

Rheinmetall's naval ambitions, by contrast, cleared a hurdle about two weeks ago when it prevailed alongside Swiss shipping group MSC in the auction for Romania's Mangalia shipyard. The joint purchase price comes to roughly EUR 138 million; at the time of the announcement, completion was expected within a few weeks, and the deal had not yet closed as of the reporting date. The site is earmarked for both civilian and military shipbuilding, and it is due to play a part in constructing four naval vessels ordered by Romania's government.

Munitions capacity is expanding in parallel. Rheinmetall Expal Munitions commissioned a new medium-calibre line in Albacete on 16 October, with annual output put at around 1.2 million projectiles and some 1.8 million cartridge cases. The company sank about EUR 20 million into the facility and intends to grow the workforce from roughly 210 to around 300.

Just over a week ago came the opening of the "UK Gun Hall" in Telford, which Rheinmetall says restores independent large-calibre weapons manufacturing to Britain. The plant is tooled for 120-mm and 155-mm weapon systems.