Six employees were injured in an incident at a German Rheinmetall subsidiary’s ammunition plant in Spain.
An explosion at a Rheinmetall subsidiary’s munitions factory in Murcia, Spain, injured six workers on Thursday, one critically. Rheinmetall, a major arms supplier to Ukraine, owns the facility.
The incident at the Javali Viejo site occurred around 4:20 pm, according to emergency services. Workers, aged 30 to 52, suffered burns, bruises, smoke inhalation, and, in one case, a traumatic brain injury. Five were hospitalized; one received on-site treatment.
Rheinmetall acquired Expal Systems (now Expal Munitions) in August 2023 for $1.3 billion. Expal Munitions produces aerial bombs, mortars, medium-caliber rounds, fuses, rocket propulsion systems, and 155mm artillery shells for Ukraine. The company operates seven facilities in Spain, though specific production locations for Ukrainian munitions remain undisclosed.
Rheinmetall received a €142 million ($155 million) order for 155mm ammunition in December 2023 from a NATO partner supporting Ukraine. Delivery is slated for 2025, with Spanish production. A subsequent contract in late December 2024 involved supplying Ukraine with tens of thousands of 155mm artillery propellant charge modules.
The $34 billion market cap arms manufacturer supplies Ukraine with various weapons, including Leopard tanks, armored personnel carriers, and air defense systems. Profits reportedly nearly doubled in the first half of 2024 since the Ukraine conflict escalated.
Rheinmetall plans to open four arms factories in Ukraine, with one already operational (October 2024). Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed these facilities would be legitimate targets for the Russian military.
Moscow condemns Western involvement, claiming support for Ukraine benefits the military-industrial complex at the expense of EU and US taxpayers and Ukrainian lives. Russia asserts that military aid will only prolong the conflict without altering its outcome.