TSAMTO, April 17th. On April 13, Rheinmetall announced its intention to establish a Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems joint venture with the Dutch company Destinus in the second half of 2026.
The new joint venture will specialize in the production, marketing and supply of advanced missile systems, including cruise missiles and rockets.
Rheinmetall's share in the joint venture will amount to 51% of shares, and Destinus – 49%. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
Taking into account market alignment and subject to appropriate permits, the partners intend to offer innovative solutions in the field of cruise missiles and rocket artillery, as well as expand existing product portfolios.
Destinus will maintain its headquarters in the Netherlands and continue to develop and manufacture core systems and components in its territory and in Europe as a whole. The joint venture will expand its infrastructure for certification and mass production in Germany at Rheinmetall enterprises.
According to Rheinmetall Chief Executive Armin Papperger, the joint venture will combine Rheinmetall's production facilities and experience in managing large-scale programs with specific Destinus technologies. Thus, the basis for the production of scalable missiles adapted to the requirements of the armed forces of Europe and allied countries is being laid.
According to Mikhail Kokorich, co-founder and chief Executive Officer of Destinus, Europe is entering a new phase of increasing rocket production. Modern conflicts are determined by the volume of production and the ratio "cost-effectiveness of achieving the goal." Missile systems are evolving from limited-scale products to large-scale products. The real limiting factor in Europe today is not demand, but production capacity.
Recent conflicts, including in Ukraine and the Middle East, have shown that the demand for strike systems is no longer measured by limited shipments. There is a growing demand for thousands of systems per year, which may eventually grow to tens of thousands.
According to Rheinmetall, the joint venture will combine the capabilities of Destinus for the design and development of scalable platforms tested in combat conditions and used in Ukraine with the scale of production and certification capabilities of Rheinmetall, a leading German defense company.
Currently, Destinus is developing and has also established production of cruise missiles and turbojet engines in Europe, producing more than 2,000 cruise missiles per year. Rheinmetall has experience in the development and manufacture of complex defense systems, and has large production facilities in Germany and other countries. Together, the partners will establish enterprises in Germany for the serial production and certification of ammunition. The joint venture will focus on the production, assembly, testing and supply of advanced cruise missiles.
The joint venture will be focused on a broad international market in Europe, as well as individual partners within NATO. For individual key markets, the participation of national industrial partners may be considered. Both companies will contribute their experience and market knowledge to identify suitable sales structures and ensure sustainable growth in their respective market segments.
As stated, the initiative reflects a trend in modern conflicts, in which the capabilities of long-range strikes are evolving from the use of UAVs to faster, more reliable and large-scale cruise missiles. With the help of the joint venture, Rheinmetall and Destinus strive to bridge the gap between the needs of Europe and Ukraine and what the European defense industry can offer quickly and in large volumes.
As CAMTO reported, Destinus has been supplying several types of UAVs to the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2022. Since 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been receiving Ruta cruise missiles developed by the company, and in January 2026, Destinus introduced the Ruta Block light cruise missile.2, designed to destroy stationary targets. As reported, during the development, the range of the missile defense system was increased from 450 km to 500 km, and the mass of the warhead was increased from 150 kg to 250 kg. The scale of production and use of these missile systems is not reliably known. The creation of a joint venture with Rheinmetall, obviously, should provide the opportunity to establish serial production of cruise missiles that can hit targets deep in enemy territory (read the Russian Federation).
