In 2022, Rheinmetall made some 60,000 to 70,000 rounds each of tank and artillery shells, according to Papperger, who said production could be boosted immediately.
A few days before the meeting with the new defence minister, Papperger pushed for an increase of Germany's defence budget.
"The 51 billion euros in the defence budget will not suffice to purchase everything that is needed.
Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany was 20 billion euros short of reaching NATO's target for ammunitions stockpiling, according to a defence source.
To plug the munitions gap alone, Papperger estimates the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) would need to invest three to four billion euros per year.