(pressebox) (Düsseldorf, 2012-08-29) Effective 1 September 2012, Dr Andreas Schwer, 46, joins the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Defence, the defence technology arm of the Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group. Dr Schwer is responsible for the company's Combat Systems division, which encompasses Rheinmetall's complete array of combat-related products. He takes over from Armin Papperger, who has been Chairman of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Defence since the beginning of 2012, which he also represents on the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG.

After completing his studies at the universities of Stuttgart and Delft in the Netherlands, Dr Schwer worked for the European Space Agency (ESA), after which he rose through the ranks at the EADS Group, remaining there for ten years; among other things, he held executive posts at EADS Astrium, Eurocopter and the Defence & Security unit (now known as Cassidian). After leaving EADS, he served in senior management at The Manitowoc Company Inc., a globally leading US crane manufacturer.

With Dr. Schwer's accession to the Rheinmetall Defence Executive Board, Armin Papperger hands over responsibility for the Combat Systems division to a seasoned executive with strong operational experience.

The Electronic Solutions and Wheeled Vehicles (RMMV) divisions are represented on the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Defence by Bodo Garbe and Pietro Borgo, respectively. In May 2012, Armin Papperger was designated to succeed Klaus Eberhardt as Chairman of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG at the beginning of 2013.