Rheinmetall Air Defence chief Oliver Dürr resigns, citing exhaustion

Oliver Dürr is leaving his role as head of Rheinmetall Air Defence, the company’s Zurich-based unit, saying he is exhausted.

He said the strain had begun to affect him physically and noted that he had suffered a stroke six years ago.

Dürr denied reports that he had been dismissed and said he had submitted his resignation himself.

During his leadership, the unit’s revenue and workforce each tripled as demand for its Skynex drone-defence system rose.

He said the shift from small-scale production to manufacturing in larger numbers was a major challenge, and acknowledged replacing some employees.

Dürr also imposed a ban on working from home at the Zurich site in April, saying cooperation between design staff and workshop employees was not working well; some staff then left.

He plans to keep campaigning to ease Switzerland’s war-material law and warned that a no vote on the proposal at the end of November could lead defence companies to move abroad.