Rhienmetall has announced a large volume framework agreement with Denmark to supply a variety of ammunition types. Announced on January 30, the agreement will last for seven years and covers the supply of medium caliber cannon ammunition, as well as 120mm and 155mm shells. These will feed Denmark’s Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks, new Elbit Systems
ATMOS 2000 8x8howitzers and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.
The large-volume framework agreement has been reported to be worth hundreds of millions of euros, though no specific figures or quantities have been released. Admin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG commented on the deal noting that “we are grateful for the trust Denmark has placed in us for its ammunition supply, Rheinmetall sees this as confirmation of its role as one of the world’s leading ammunition manufacturers.”
Orders for medium caliber ammunition are said to be in the high five-digit range and include cannon ammunition such as 30mm x 173 and 35mm x 228.. This may include programmable fuse rounds, kinetic energy rounds, which are used by the Danish armed forces’ Bushmaster III 35mm cannons, the main armament of Denmark’s CV90 IFVs. Rheinmetall will also supply over 1,000 rounds of 120mm kinetic energy ammunition. Rheinmetall produce a variety of 120mm ammunition including high explosive, DM63 / DM53 A1 kinetic APFSDS and PELE (Penetrating with enhanced lateral effect) variants.
Rheinmetall have supplied Denmark with tank ammunition since the mid 00s with the new 120mm ammunition set to be used by Rheinmetall produced RH-120 smoothbore guns of the Danish Leopard 2A7 fleet. The Leopard 2 has been in Danish service since the late 90s, and over the last five years the fleet has been upgraded to A7DK standard.