In a factory in a tranquil German village, 120 mm tank shells with black-painted tips, packed into wooden crates, sit on pallets waiting to be delivered to Ukraine. . This position will be cemented with the acquisition of Spain's Expal, a leading manufacturer of 120 mm shells.

In a factory in a tranquil German village, 120 mm tank shells with black-painted tips, packed into wooden crates, sit on pallets waiting to be delivered to Ukraine.

Leading arms manufacturer Rheinmetall is racing to meet demand for weapons and ammunition to supply Kyiv, as well as Germany and other NATO countries which are bolstering their defences after draining stockpiles.

In March, as intense fighting continued around Bakhmut, NATO's chief said "we need to ramp up production" warning Ukraine's usage is outstripping allies' production capacity.

"We are pulling out all the stops when it comes to production of ammunition for tanks," said Harald Weismueller, head of the factory in Unterluess, Lower Saxony state.

Germany has long been a major arms maker and exporter, but in a country still haunted by guilt over Nazi atrocities in World War II, its manufacturers have kept a relatively low profile.

But as Russia's war in Ukraine spurs demand, business is booming for Rheinmetall, which has seen orders surge and in March joined Frankfurt's blue-chip DAX stock index.

The European Union has agreed on a plan to spend two billion euros ($2.1 billion) on artillery shells for Ukraine to try to get a million...

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