Rheinmetall breaks ground on F-35 fuselage plant
Germany announced in 2022 that it will purchase the fifth-generation F-35 combat jet to replace some of its Panavia Tornados. (Photo: US DoD)
The Rheinmetall F-35A factory is set to produce at least 400 fighter jet fuselages for Germany and other NATO operators.
Germany’s Rheinmetall began building a new factory that will produce fuselage sections for the F-35A fighter jet in the western town of Weeze.
The plant, which Rheinmetall calls ‘ultramodern’, is set to produce at least 400 jet fuselages from 2025 onward – of which up to 35 are for the German Armed Forces.
The other jets, with deliveries to begin in 2026, will likely be for other NATO F-35 operators.
The factory is estimated to cost around €200 million ($219 million) and will have an area of some 60,000 square metres. The project is a result of a partnership between
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