Manufacturer catalog

Rheinmetall Denel Munition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition is a South African ammunition manufacturer majority-owned by Germany's Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH, with Denel holding the remaining stake. The company develops and manufactures large- and medium-calibre ammunition families, including 155 mm Assegai artillery projectiles and modular propelling charges.

2 weapons

The company was established on September 1, 2008, when Denel munitions divisions and sites including Somchem, Swartklip, Boksburg and Naschem became part of the Rheinmetall Group. Rheinmetall's company history describes the resulting joint venture as majority Rheinmetall-owned, with Denel retaining 49 percent.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition operates from South African sites including Somerset West, Boksburg, Boskop and Wellington. Its public product portfolio spans 105 mm and 155 mm artillery ammunition, 60 mm, 81 mm and 120 mm mortar ammunition, missile subsystems, minefield-breaching systems, naval ammunition, 40 mm infantry ammunition, pyrotechnics, propellants, energetic materials and plant engineering.

Large-calibre artillery ammunitionMedium-calibre and infantry ammunitionMortar ammunitionPropellants and energetic materialsMissile subsystems and warheadsMinefield-breaching systemsPlant engineering

Notable Systems

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell

155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell

An Assegai-family 155 mm Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile combining rocket assist and base bleed for extended range.

Sources: Rheinmetall V-LAP distance records, Rheinmetall 2025 Assegai ammunition order

M92 Assegai tactical modular charge

155 mm artillery propelling-charge system

A modular propelling-charge system for compatible 155 mm guns and shells, described by Rheinmetall as part of the Assegai series.

Sources: Rheinmetall M92 Assegai charge order, Rheinmetall 2025 Assegai ammunition order

Manufacturer History

2008-09-01
Rheinmetall Denel Munition established
Rheinmetall says RDM was established when Denel divisions including Somchem, Swartklip, Boksburg and Naschem became part of the Rheinmetall Group, with Rheinmetall as majority shareholder and Denel holding 49 percent.
Sources: Rheinmetall Denel Munition company page
2019-11-06
South African range-record firing
At Alkantpan in South Africa, Rheinmetall and RDM reported 155 mm indirect-fire range results including 76 km from a G6 howitzer, 67 km from PzH 2000 and 54 km from a 39-calibre field howitzer.
Sources: Rheinmetall V-LAP distance records
2025-07-03
Largest RDM order announced
Rheinmetall announced a multi-year European NATO contract for Assegai-family 155 mm projectiles and bi-modular propelling charges, describing it as the largest order in Rheinmetall Denel Munition's history to date.
Sources: Rheinmetall 2025 Assegai ammunition order

Predecessors

Denel munitions divisions including Somchem, Swartklip, Boksburg and Naschem

Website links

Official Rheinmetall Denel Munition page Rheinmetall Denel Munition contact page Rheinmetall 2025 Assegai ammunition order

Rheinmetall public pages use both the full legal name and the abbreviation RDM; the abbreviation is not stored as an alias here because a separate published manufacturer profile currently owns the canonical name RDM.

Manufacturer Sources

Rheinmetall Denel Munition company pagePublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports ownership, establishment date, South African sites, product portfolio, headquarters, and company-history context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
Rheinmetall Denel Munition contact pagePublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports the Somerset West head-office address and company registration contact details. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
Rheinmetall 2025 Assegai ammunition orderPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports Assegai-family 155 mm projectile and bi-modular charge context, order scale, workforce and supplier claims, and image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
Rheinmetall M92 Assegai charge orderPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports the M92 Assegai tactical modular charge, Assegai artillery ammunition order context, ownership, and indirect-fire technology background. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
Rheinmetall V-LAP distance recordsPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports the South African 155 mm range-record firing event and RDM's connection to V-LAP extended-range artillery ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

M92 Assegai tactical modular charge, 155 mm artillery propelling-charge system, Munitions

M92 Assegai tactical modular charge155 mm artillery propelling-charge systemBuilt in: South AfricaThe M92 Assegai tactical modular charge is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's modular propelling-charge component for 155 mm Assegai artillery ammunition. Rheinmetall describes the charge as tuned to customer gun and projectile combinations, ordered alongside Assegai Base Bleed and V-LAP shells, and intended to simplify artillery logistics while reducing barrel wear and muzzle flash.

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell, 155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell, Munitions

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shellBuilt in: South AfricaThe M2005 V-LAP is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's South African 155 mm Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile. Rheinmetall places it in the Assegai family and says the round combines rocket assist with base-bleed range extension, high fragmentation effect, and compatibility with NATO-standard 155 mm firing systems.