Bundeswehr Orders Rheinmetall-made 120mm Tank Ammo

The German Bundeswehr has expanded to €4 billion an existing framework agreement with Rheinmetall for the supply of 120mm tank ammunition.

On Thursday, the company said an existing agreement for the munition, including the type fired by the main gun of the Leopard 2 tank, had been expanded “to close gaps that have arisen in the stocks [of the German military]”.

The framework agreement also encompasses a significant amount of tank ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces, the company said.

The Bundeswehr could procure several hundred thousand rounds of 120mm x 570 cal. service and practice ammunition, the type fired for example by the Leopard 2 main battle tank. Worth around €309 million, a first call-off of ammunition came immediately after the contract was signed.

The scope of delivery includes multipurpose tank ammunition with a non-programmable fuse as well as another variant that can be programmed for three different ignition modes: detonation on impact with and without time delay, and a timed airburst function. The order also encompasses various types of practice ammunition featuring reduced range and lower cost, but which otherwise display comparable ballistic characteristics.