BERLIN, April 30. /TASS/. German and US defense companies Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin intend to establish cooperation for the production and sale of various types of missiles and shells in Europe, according a press release from Rheinmetall.

The parties signed a corresponding agreement in development of the Memorandum of Understanding from 2024.

"Building on their existing partnership, the companies intend to extend the scope of collaboration in order to serve as a European center of excellence for the manufacturing and distribution of various rockets and missiles to enhance the security and self-reliance of Europe," the document says.

The center will be based in Germany and managed by Rheinmetall. Its main activities will be in Germany, as well as in other European countries. The companies are expected to develop a plan for the creation of such a center, the implementation of which will have to be approved by the governments of the United States and Germany. According to the companies' plan, the project should combine the client network of the German concern and advanced technologies of American production.

"This partnership reflects our steadfast commitment to advancing transatlantic security and delivering proven, cutting-edge capabilities to European allies. This is a step toward helping our European customers meet their NATO commitments," Ray Piselli, vice president, International at Lockheed Martin said as quoted in the press release.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, stressed that the German company "will not only be involved in sales but will also contribute significantly to the production."

The document does not specify whether the plan includes expanding production capacity in Europe, including building new factories. Piselli only noted that the cooperation between the two companies will lead to the creation of new jobs. The press release does not specify what missiles and shells are to be produced, but it mentions the companies’ cooperation in developing an improved HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system, which was named GMARS (Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System).