Rheinmetall is advancing its “Firepower” project and continues to expand its production capacity. In October 2026, the subsidiary Rheinmetall Expal Munitions will, according to a press release issued today, Friday, commence operations at its new modern medium-caliber production facility at the Spanish site of Albacete. Attending the expansion ceremony were the Spanish Secretary of State for Defense, Amparo Valcarce, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Thoms, the Mayor of the city of Albacete, Manuel Serrano López, and the CEO of Rheinmetall AG, Armin Papperger.
The Albacete site is expected to grow its workforce by almost one third—from about 210 employees to around 300. The next-generation production facilities, enabled by a high degree of automation, will allow key components for medium-caliber cartridges to be produced faster and in larger quantities. The production capacity for mortar weapons and systems—the site’s core competency to date—will also be significantly expanded.
Investments to Boost Medium-Caliber Firepower
Rheinmetall has invested around €20 million to expand its production capacity at the Albacete site. Thus, a building has been modernized and expanded to accommodate the new medium-caliber production line. Across an area of about 5,700 square meters, a new technical building infrastructure, new machines, and new manufacturing capabilities were created. Also, in less than a year a new building with 5,200 square meters of usable floor space was erected to expand mortar-system production. Aircraft maintenance will also be possible in this new hall.
In the area of medium-caliber components, Albacete can cover calibers from 20 to 35 mm. The annual production capacity would be around 1.2 million projectiles and about 1.8 million cartridge cases. These components would be further processed at other Rheinmetall network sites—including the Burgos plant—to produce different ammunition types for infantry fighting vehicles and air-defense cannon systems. This includes time-fuzed combat ammunition, armor-piercing arrowhead projectiles, or AHEAD ammunition for aircraft and drone defense.
Manufacture of EIMOS Mortar Systems
In the mortar-systems sector, the annual production capacity is expected to reach 40 Dual-EIMOS mortar systems in 81 mm caliber. Furthermore, it would be possible to manufacture more than 650 mortars per year in calibers 60, 81 and 120 mm. The Albacete site will cooperate across Europe with other Rheinmetall locations in Spain, Germany and Switzerland to meet the needs of NATO partners and other allies. A local supplier network would create opportunities for companies throughout the region.
The Rheinmetall Expal ammunition plant in Albacete has, according to the company, established itself as a center of expertise for ammunition component production and the manufacture of various mortar types. The focus is particularly on producing the EIMOS-81 models and the upcoming serial production of the EIMOS-120. Thanks to its high degree of specialization, the expertise of its teams, and its ongoing commitment to improving industrial processes, the plant ranks among the group’s leading locations.
