Rheinmetall builds plant to destroy old ammunition 

Scrap from the North and Baltic Seas is also to be destroyed in Bavaria

Rheinmetall is planning to destroy large quantities of old ammunition in the district of Dillingen an der Donau. As part of explosive ordnance clearance projects in the offshore and onshore areas, the Düsseldorf-based technology group intends to destroy not only old munitions from the two world wars, but also so-called "newer stockpiled munitions", as well as taking over the disposal of old stocks from the Bundeswehr and other NATO forces.

Around 1.6 million tonnes of old munitions are suspected at the bottom of the North Sea and Baltic Sea alone. These include artillery shells, ground and sea mines and aerial bombs. In addition, over 2 million tonnes of bombs were dropped over Germany and the occupied territories during the Second World War. In southern Germany alone, more than 20,000 tonnes of old munitions are believed to be left that need to be rendered harmless and disposed of. On the Lerchenberg, which belongs to the Bavarian municipality of Zusamaltheim, Rheinmetall has acquired a 41-hectare site for this purpose. The facility for destroying old ammunition is scheduled to go into operation at the beginning of 2026. The property, which also served as a Bundeswehr depot in the past, also has 32 bunkers in which up to 900 tonnes of net explosive mass can be stored.

Rheinmetall acquired the ammunition salvage company Stascheit GmbH, based in Gardelegen, Saxony-Anhalt, back in April 2025. Its main activities include the detection, evaluation, recovery and destruction of explosive ordnance, for example in connection with offshore wind farms. Like the new facility on the Lerchenberg, Stascheit GmbH will also be integrated into the Projects & Services division of Rheinmetall AG.