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Bulgaria and Rheinmetall to Launch Joint Defense Plants for NATO Ammunition and Gunpowder Production
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The leader of Bulgaria’s Citizens for European Development party (GERB), Boyko Borissov, announced that Bulgaria and Germany’s Rheinmetall are launching major joint defense industry projects.
According to Borissiv on August 25, talks with Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger began in March 2025 during a meeting at the Bulgarian National Assembly, where the two discussed prospects for joint defense production.
“Rheinmetall is a leading producer of defense equipment and ammunition not only in Europe but worldwide. Bulgaria, for its part, has decades of experience and traditions in military production. Today, Europe and NATO face an urgent need to expand their defense industry capacities,” Borissov said.
During their next meeting in April 2025, Borissov and Papperger agreed to deepen cooperation.
The party`s leader added that, following detailed assessments by both parties, Bulgaria and Rheinmetall are preparing to launch two joint defense plants in the country. The projects include a facility for the production of gunpowder and charges, as well as a plant for manufacturing 155mm NATO-standard shells and long-range rockets.
Earlier, Rheinmetall unveiled plans to double the output capacity of its under-construction plant in Ukraine, which will produce 155mm artillery shells. The expansion is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s defense industry, enhance self-sufficiency, and gradually reduce reliance on ammunition supplies from Western partners.
