Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Rheinmetall has signed a deal to build a munitions plant in Sopot, Bulgaria

Photo: BTA

The Bulgarian government and the German defence group Rheinmetall have signed an agreement in Sofia to build a gunpowder and 155 mm artillery shell factory at the state-owned Vazov Machine Building Works (VMZ) in Sopot.


The deal was signed by Rheinmetall Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger and VMZ Executive Director Ivan Getsov. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Economy Minister Petar Dilov, and Germany’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Irene Maria Plank.

Armin Papperger, left, and Rosen Zhelyazkov

“There is much work ahead to unlock the full potential of the Bulgarian plant. We have established a stable and predictable partnership with our partners,” said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.


Papperger said he expected other European companies to invest in Bulgaria’s defence industry.


The nearly 500 million euro investment will create around 1,000 jobs and is seen as key to modernising Bulgaria’s defence sector. It is part of broader EU and NATO efforts to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities.


Editor: Ivo Ivanov
Posted in English by E. Radkova
Photos: BTA


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

President Rumen Radev meets with the Bulgarian community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Protecting the rights and caring for Bulgarian communities abroad are fundamental to Bulgarian foreign policy, said Bulgarian President Rumen Radev at a meeting with the Bulgarian community in Riyadh . He answered the questions of Bulgarians working and..

published on 10/28/25 10:41 AM

Strong earthquake in western Turkey felt in southern Bulgaria

An earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Western Turkey at 22.48 hours last night. There were over 40 aftershocks after the earthquake. The epicenter was near the city of Sundargah in the Balıkesir province. In addition to..

published on 10/28/25 9:42 AM

Bulgarians are putting money into banks en masse before expected euro adoption

The Bulgarian National Bank reports a sharp increase in new household deposits . The growth in euro deposits is impressive. In just one month, amounts worth 334 million leva (over 161 million euros) were placed in deposit accounts. This is 57% more than..

published on 10/28/25 9:12 AM