Rheinmetall Strengthens Norwegian Defence Footprint With New Skoppum Site.
Rheinmetall Nordic AS opens new defence factory in Skoppum, Norway.
Rheinmetall’s Skoppum Defence Factory in Norway: German defence company Rheinmetall has expanded its industrial presence in Norway with the opening of a new facility in Skoppum, strengthening its local capabilities in development, production, system integration, logistics and customer support.
The new site, operated by Rheinmetall Nordic AS, was officially opened on October 1, 2026. The company says the facility will support the Norwegian Armed Forces, international customers and other companies within the wider Rheinmetall Group.
The expansion comes as European countries continue to increase attention on defence readiness, industrial capacity and the resilience of military supply chains.
For Rheinmetall, the Skoppum facility represents a further investment in maintaining advanced defence technology and manufacturing capabilities close to its Norwegian customer base.
A larger facility with room to grow
The new Skoppum site has a gross floor area of 4,579 square metres and has been designed to accommodate up to 127 employees.
Around 100 employees will be based at the facility when it opens, leaving additional capacity as the company’s Norwegian operations expand.
There is also potential to increase the site by approximately another 5,000 square metres in the future. Rheinmetall has signed a 15-year lease for the premises, indicating a long-term commitment to the location.
The new facility is intended to provide greater flexibility for production and development activities while improving working conditions for employees.
It also brings different functions and teams together, allowing them to collaborate more closely across programmes.
That arrangement is particularly relevant for complex defence systems, which often require cooperation between engineering, manufacturing, integration, testing, logistics and after-sales support.
Rheinmetall’s Laser Light Module for German Army.
Focus on advanced defence technologies
Rheinmetall Nordic’s work covers several specialised areas of defence technology.
The Skoppum facility will support activities involving electro-optical systems, fire-control systems, situational-awareness solutions, weapon accessories and other advanced technologies.
Electro-optical systems can include sensors and optical equipment used to observe, identify and track objects. Fire-control systems help military platforms and personnel calculate and manage the use of weapons, while situational-awareness technologies provide information that can help users understand what is happening around them.
Bringing these capabilities together at a single site can allow the company to manage systems across more stages of their life cycle.
That includes development and production, but also integration, maintenance, upgrades and technical support after systems have entered service.
Strengthening Norway’s defence industrial base
Rheinmetall’s investment also highlights the increasing importance of domestic and regional defence manufacturing capacity.
European defence industries have been under pressure to increase production while governments seek more resilient supply chains and greater availability of military equipment.
For Norway, maintaining industrial expertise within the country provides a domestic base for supporting its armed forces and cooperating with allied countries.
Rheinmetall Nordic CEO Morten Kjørum described the Skoppum opening as an investment in the future of the company’s Norwegian operations. He said the facility would create greater capacity and support innovation and value creation while strengthening the company’s ability to work with customers and partners.
Kjørum also said the development demonstrated Rheinmetall’s long-term commitment to maintaining and expanding high-technology capabilities within Norway’s defence industry.
Norwegian Armed Forces operate in extreme climatic conditions.
Supporting Norwegian and allied customers
The new facility is intended to serve more than the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Rheinmetall says it will also support international customers, allied nations and other companies within the Rheinmetall Group.
This reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of Europe’s defence industry, where equipment development and production frequently involve several countries and industrial partners.
A stronger Norwegian production and support base can therefore contribute to Rheinmetall’s wider European industrial network while providing local expertise and technical support.
For customers, local capabilities can also be important for maintaining equipment over long periods. Defence systems often remain in service for decades, making technical support, spare parts, upgrades and maintenance essential components of military capability.
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Opening ceremony brings together defence stakeholders
The opening ceremony brought together representatives from the Norwegian Armed Forces, government and regional authorities, as well as customers, industry partners and representatives from other Rheinmetall companies across Europe.
The event included presentations, factory tours and technology demonstrations designed to showcase the capabilities of Rheinmetall Nordic.
The company positioned the new facility as part of its contribution to future defence readiness, operational effectiveness and international industrial cooperation.
The presence of representatives from across the defence sector also reflects the role such facilities can play beyond their immediate production functions. They can become meeting points between armed forces, industry and technology developers, helping to connect operational requirements with industrial solutions.
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More than 70 years of Norwegian experience
Rheinmetall Nordic has more than 70 years of experience in Norway’s defence industry.
The company specialises in electro-optical systems, fire-control systems, situational-awareness solutions, weapon accessories and defence system integration.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG, it combines its Norwegian development and manufacturing expertise with the resources and technology available across the wider Rheinmetall Group.
The new Skoppum facility is intended to strengthen that combination.
With 100 employees initially moving into the site, capacity for further expansion and a 15-year lease, the development provides Rheinmetall with a long-term base for expanding its Norwegian operations.
For Norway, the investment adds industrial capacity in a sector increasingly regarded as important to national and allied defence readiness.
For Rheinmetall, meanwhile, Skoppum strengthens its ability to develop, produce, integrate and support advanced defence technologies within Norway while connecting the country’s industrial capabilities to the company’s broader European network.
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