German defence group Rheinmetall has decided to open a maintenance and repair centre for armoured vehicles in northern Romania, relocating part of its repair operations from Germany to Satu Mare, close to the Ukrainian border.

Adevărul.ro reported on February 2, citing Defense Romania, that the new facility will service Marder infantry fighting vehicles previously repaired in Germany. The Service Hub Satu Mare is scheduled to become operational at the beginning of 2026.

According to Defense Romania, the decision represents a direct technical response to one of the main vulnerabilities faced by the Ukrainian army: prolonged downtime of combat equipment damaged on the front line. By moving repair capabilities closer to the theatre of operations, Rheinmetall aims to significantly reduce the time needed to return vehicles to service.

The location of the facility on the outskirts of Satu Mare, in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian border, eliminates the need to transport damaged armoured vehicles thousands of kilometres to factories in Germany. This proximity is expected to enable much faster turnaround times and improve the availability of equipment on the battlefield.

The efficiency of the new centre is based on a modular and standardised concept developed by Rheinmetall. The facility was built within a matter of weeks using prefabricated structures that allow rapid adaptation of lifting capacities and storage areas, depending on the complexity and scale of the damage being repaired, according to Defense Romania.

Rheinmetall said the centre is designed as a fully equipped Battle Damage Repair facility, capable of carrying out complex maintenance and repair work under tight time constraints.

“The Satu Mare Service Center is a repair centre located in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian border, in the northern part of Romania. Here, a fully equipped Battle Damage Repair facility was set up in a very short time to ensure the operational availability of the Marder integrated combat vehicle delivered to Ukraine by Rheinmetall,” the company said on its official website.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Rheinmetall.com)