In Weeze on the Lower Rhine, Rheinmetall initiated the construction of the assembly plant for the central fuselage parts of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft with the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony. The importance of this investment by the technology and defense company is made clear by the long list of high-profile guests at the event. The NRW Prime Minister, Hendrik Wüst, came with the NRW Economics Minister, Mona Neubaur, as well as members of the state parliament, the district administrator and the mayor. The Bundeswehr was represented by the armaments director, the president of the BAAINBw, the air force inspector with the commander of the air operations center, and the head of the aviation office. The American delegation included the US Consul General for North Rhine-Westphalia and representatives of the aircraft manufacturers and clients for the new plant, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Rheinmetall is building a production facility with around 30,000 square meters of floor space on a site measuring around 60,000 square meters and is investing 100 million euros in the infrastructure and another 100 million euros in the equipment, Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, explained the project. Rheinmetall contributes its experience both as an integrated technology group in the production of complex components and as an aviation company. It only took six months from the first discussions (ES&Treported) until the groundbreaking ceremony. This prime example of “speed and agility” should continue at this pace. Production of the center fuselage parts is scheduled to begin as early as 2025. The first center fuselage section is scheduled to be delivered in the 4th quarter of 2026. 400 highly qualified employees are expected to assemble 30 of these central components of the fighter aircraft each year and deliver them to one of the final assembly lines in the USA, Italy or Japan.
Over the next few years, 400 center fuselage sections are to be assembled by specialist staff, each consisting of over 10,000 individual parts. They will be the basis primarily for the F-35A fighter jets that are on order in the European NATO countries.
German-American cooperation is creating a new nucleus for aerospace technology in North Rhine-Westphalia, Papperger continued. The ultra-modern assembly line will also have an impact on the surrounding area. Other companies and the local economy should be involved.
Prime Minister Wüst sees the construction of the assembly plant as a sign of the mental turning point caused by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. There has not been such an investment on this scale in armaments in the last 30 years. He also pointed to the approval of society. “Democracies must be defensive. Anyone who disarms democracy makes law and freedom unprotected,” said Wüst. The decision to start producing aircraft parts in Weeze together with US partners has a defense policy and an economic policy dimension.
Wüst was satisfied that companies from North Rhine-Westphalia will be involved in the construction of the factory. Other companies will settle in the area and participate in production as suppliers. The ultra-modern factory will act as a magnet for good jobs in the region for decades.
Procurement for Germany
With the decision made in 2022 to procure 35 F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, the Bundeswehr has created a prerequisite for Northrop Grumman's decision to assemble F-35 center fuselage sections in Germany through Rheinmetall. After the procurement was approved by the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag in December 2022, contracts ready for signature are expected soon in the Foreign Military Sales process.
The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force between 2026 and 2029. Pilot training is scheduled to begin in the USA in 2026. They are scheduled to move their machines to Büchel in 2027. The initial operational capability of the German F-35 aircraft should then be achieved in 2028.
The F-35 Lightning II
The F-35 has been in series production for around 20 years by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, along with key partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. To date, more than 900 aircraft have been delivered to operators around the world. The USA alone wants to procure almost 2,550 machines. In Europe, in addition to Germany, the (some future) users include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and Great Britain. The latest orderer is the Czech Republic, whose application to procure 24 machines was recently approved.
The combat aircraft with a particularly low radar return cross-section can hardly be detected by enemy reconnaissance equipment due to its special design. With a maximum takeoff weight of 30 tons, it is accelerated to a top speed of Mach 1.6 by the F135-PW-100 turbofan engine with up to 191 kN of thrust (with afterburner). Depending on the mission, the range is between 1,200 km and 2,800 km at peak altitudes of up to 15 km.
An extensive arsenal of rockets and bombs with a total weight of up to 8.2 tons can be carried at internal and external weapons stations. The F-35 is certified to use nuclear weapons. This was an important feature for the German decision to use this aircraft.
Gerhard Heiming
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