Rafael, Lower Saxony, and Aurelius sign MoU to develop shuttered Volkswagen plant into defence production site
Israeli defence contractor Rafael, the German state of Lower Saxony, and investment firm Aurelius signed a memorandum of understanding to convert a closing Volkswagen facility in Germany into a defence manufacturing site. If completed, the agreement would give Rafael a production footprint inside Germany. The VW plant is slated for closure under the automaker's restructuring plan.
Why it matters: Germany's deindustrialisation is creating openings for defence conversion—VW sheds capacity, Rafael gains a European manufacturing hub, and Berlin gets jobs and sovereignty optics.