Rheinmetall and Destinus to form joint venture for missiles

Rheinmetall and Destinus, the latter of which produces the Ruta autonomous cruise missile (pictured), plan to form the Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture in the second half of 2026. (Destinus)

Rheinmetall and Netherlands-based defence company Destinus announced in a joint press release on 13 April 2026 that they would form the Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture (JV) to produce, market, and deliver missile systems.

Rheinmetall will hold a 51% share and Destinus 49% in the JV, which they aim to form in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

The two companies intend for the JV, based in Unterlüß in Lower Saxony, Germany, to further develop cruise missiles and ballistic rocket artillery.

Destinus will remain headquartered in the Netherlands and will continue to develop and manufacture systems and components across its Dutch and broader European footprint. Vitali Shkliarov, senior vice president for business operations at Destinus, told Janes on 16 April, “Destinus remains an independent company and continues to operate across its broader product and technology portfolio outside the joint venture. This includes air defence/interceptor systems, as well as navigation-related technologies.”

Rheinmetall will add its qualification and serial production capacity at its plants in Germany. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said, “We are combining Rheinmetall's production capacities and experience in managing large-scale programmes with Destinus's specific technology and system design,...laying the foundations for scalable, operational missiles that are tailored to the current requirements of European and allied armed forces.”

Asked by Janes what the joint venture's missile and turbojet production capacity will be, Shkliarov replied, “The joint venture is designed for large-scale serial production with a phased ramp-up,” adding, “We are not disclosing specific missile or turbojet capacity figures at this time.”