Armaments industry Armaments company Rheinmetall has fuller order books than ever before
Driven by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the changed global political situation, the armaments group Rheinmetall has significantly increased its business. Sales rose to around 9.8 billion euros in 2024 and were 36 percent higher than in 2023.
12.03.2025, 09:39
SDA
Business became more profitable and the operating result skyrocketed by 61 percent to around 1.5 billion, the highest figure in the company's history, as the company announced in Düsseldorf. Another record figure can be seen in the order books, which stand at 55 billion euros, 44 percent higher than a year earlier.
This refers to the "backlog", which lists the order backlog, framework agreements and specific expectations from other business relationships. At the end of 2021 - i.e. before the start of the war in Ukraine - Rheinmetall's backlog amounted to just 24.5 billion euros.
Since then, the arms manufacturer has experienced booming demand; the Bundeswehr and other NATO states are buying heavily and want to spend even more money in the future than before. Rheinmetall manufactures tanks, artillery, military trucks, air defense systems, drones and ammunition. The company now generates 80 percent of its consolidated sales with military goods, while its business as an automotive supplier is becoming less important.
Bright economic prospects
The company has already massively increased its capacities and will continue to do so, explained CEO Armin Papperger. "An era of rearmament has begun in Europe that will demand a lot from all of us." It will bring Rheinmetall unprecedented growth prospects for the coming years. For 2025, the Rheinmetall Executive Board expects sales growth of 25 to 30 percent and a further increase in business profitability.
It is possible that business will pick up even more than previously assumed in view of the political signals recently received from Brussels and Berlin, which are likely to mean significantly more investment in the military. The company points out that the forecast does not yet take into account "the improvement in market potential" that is likely to result from the developments of recent weeks.
For this reason, the company said that it would "make adjustments to the forecast if necessary" as the year progresses. US President Donald Trump wants Europe to take care of its own defense and therefore invest more in the military.
According to the company, Rheinmetall had 27,244 employees last year, 649 more than in 2023. The administrative headquarters are in Düsseldorf and the largest plant is in Unterlüss, Lower Saxony. Another important production site is in Kassel.
