Rheinmetall e Lockheed per costruire la prima fabbrica di missili Atacms e Patriot d’Europa

Wouldn’t it be better to build the European alternatives to ATACMS and Patriots? If I recall correctly, the US can dictate whom those can be sent to and when can they be used. Under Trump, that means Ukraine may not use them as freely.

In the end it might turn out to be good. Lockheed and the traditional incumbents are under tremendous pressure from new, flexible, much smaller companies led by Reddit’s favorite villain Peter Thiel.

An official (sent by the New Military tech side) said that he would consider it a success, if one of the incumbents (i.e Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop, General Dynamics; Boeing probably not because they don’t have an alternative for the civilian side) died under his watch.

Being in a weakened position, it is likely that Lockheed and these older companies will be more willing to share their expertise with Europe…

This is the important part:

>**Rheinmetall expects to hold a 60 percent stake** once the US government signs off, a decision that could clear the way for production lines to be ready within 12-13 months, motors rolling out in 2026, and full missile assembly by 2027.

So yes, it’s a joint venture, but Rheinmetall will be in charge. So either way, this will of course improve the capabilities of Europe’s military-industrial complex in this crucial area.

Plus, as already mentioned earlier, there are a number of “home grown” alternatives in the works, e.g. Diehl’s IRIS-T SLX as a capable alternative to Patriot, or Safran’s / MBDA’s alternative to HIMARS.

While this sounds good, I am still iffy on the notion that America at some point might just throw up roadblocks about when, how and against what these missiles may be used.

This is a big deal. It’s not just about missiles, it’s about a major shift in how Europe handles its defense production. Definitely raises questions about future military collaborations

So in the end we’re once again bound by the US’s diktat, nothing new.