Aequo helped Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC to establish a joint company with Rheinmetall

Aequo successfully represented Ukraine’s state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC (the former Ukroboronprom) in the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (the “AMCU”) on obtaining merger clearance for the joint company with Rheinmetall AG (one of the world’s leading defense technology companies).  

Strategic cooperation of two major defense manufacturers starts from the service and maintenance of military vehicles supplied to Ukraine. It will extend to the joint production (including technology transfer).

Notably, this is the first joint venture established with foreign partners with the participation of Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC.

Well-grounded approaches to market definitions, description of the parties’ activities, and undeniable benefits of the respective cooperation (including the competition ones) presented by the parties to the AMCU enabled the authority to clear the transaction in 1st phase regardless of the parties’ leading positions. The German and Polish competition authorities also cleared the transaction.   

Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC (the former Ukroboronprom) is a state-owned enterprise, Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC has 67,000 employees engaged, among other things, in the production and maintenance of armoured vehicles, missiles, artillery, radar and aircraft.

Rheinmetall AG is a technology enterprise with some 28,000 employees at 132 locations worldwide. In 2022 the Group had sales of €6.4 billion. One of the world’s foremost defence contractors, Rheinmetall is also a driver of forward-looking technological and industrial innovation in the civil sector.