Rheinmetall has secured infantry ammunition contracts from Estonia and Lithuania worth a combined 33 million euros ($38 million).
Under the initiative, Estonia signed a framework agreement with Rheinmetall for the supply of hand grenades.
Splinter grenades will be delivered in 2026 and 2027, and offensive grenades between 2026 and 2029.
The contract is worth approximately 17 million euros ($19 million)
Lithuania’s share encompasses several tens of thousands of 40×46mm high-explosive fragmentation cartridges, allocated within a 16-million-euro ($18 million) budget, with deliveries scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
Rheinmetall Production
Rheinmetall produces a full range of 40mm ammunition and grenade launcher systems, including low-, medium-, and high-velocity rounds used by various NATO countries.
The 40×46mm low-velocity ammunition has a muzzle velocity of 76 meters (250 feet) per second and a range of about 400 meters (1,310 feet).
The newer 40×46 mm medium-velocity round offers greater speed and a flatter trajectory, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 100 meters (330 feet) per second and a range of up to 900 meters (2,950 feet), enabling faster target engagement than low-velocity rounds.
Rheinmetall also manufactures 40×53mm high-velocity ammunition for use in automatic grenade launchers.
The rounds have a muzzle velocity of 130 meters (425 feet) per second and a range of up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet).
Boosting Defense
The Baltic nations are strengthening their defenses as tensions with Russia continue.
Sharing a border with Moscow, they face heightened fears of becoming potential targets should Russia succeed in its conflict with Ukraine.
In March, Estonia announced plans to raise military spending to at least 5 percent of GDP starting next year, citing the ongoing threat from Russia.
Earlier this year, Lithuania also signaled a significant increase, planning to allocate up to 6 percent of its GDP annually to defense between 2026 and 2030.
