German arms giant Rheinmetall to build missiles with Ruta maker Destinus
on Google
German defense giant Rheinmetall and Netherlands-based defense manufacturer Destinus announced plans on April 13 for a joint venture to produce advanced missile systems, including cruise missiles and rocket artillery systems, according to a statement.
The joint venture comes as Europe struggles to manufacture advanced strike weapons at the scale modern warfare requires, a gap highlighted by Ukraine's reliance on cheaper, mass-producible alternatives to traditional cruise missiles, such as long-range strike drones.
As the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue, global demand for scalable strike systems is rising — from thousands to tens of thousands of units per year, the statement read.
"Europe is entering a new phase of scaling missile production," Mikhail Kokorich, co-founder and CEO of Destinus, said in a statement.
"Modern conflict is defined by volume and cost-per-effect. Missile systems are evolving from limited-production assets into industrial products. The real constraint in Europe today is not demand, but industrial capacity," Kokorich added.
Destinus, a manufacturer of advanced aerospace systems, has previously cooperated with Ukraine. The company began supplying Ukraine with the Ruta "missile-drone" hybrid in 2024 and, in early 2026, unveiled the Ruta Block 2 cruise missile, with a range of more than 450 kilometers (280 miles) and a warhead of approximately 250 kilograms.
Kokorich is himself a Russian national who posted that he was renouncing his Russian citizenship at the end of 2024. In 2021, he left Momentus, the aerospace company he founded in the U.S., following Defense Department scrutiny of his citizenship.
The joint venture, expected to be launched in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approval, will combine Rheinmetall's production capacity with Destinus' system architecture, product design, and scalable platform development, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said.
Rheinmetall, one of Europe's largest arms manufacturers, has become a key supplier for Ukraine, delivering tanks, 155-millimeter artillery rounds, mortar shells, and surveillance drones.
Rheinmetall will hold a 51% stake, with Destinus owning the remaining 49% in the venture, which will be called Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems, according to the statement.
The joint venture will focus on manufacturing, assembling and delivering cruise missile systems and ballistic rocket artillery, targeting European and NATO markets.
The companies said the partnership aims to expand industrial capacity and bridge the gap between battlefield demand in Ukraine and Europe's ability to deliver strike systems at scale.
