KNDS

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KNDS N.V.
Company type
Private
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Headquarters
Amsterdam
,
Netherlands
Key people
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SubsidiariesKNDS Deutschland
KNDS France
KNDS UK
Websiteknds.com

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KNDS N.V.,[a] is a European defence industry holding company, which is the result of a merger between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter Systems. The joint holding company is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[4]

History

KNDS is the joint holding company formed by German family-controlled defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and the French government-owned weapons manufacturer Nexter, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems.[5]

Negotiations between the companies and the German and French governments started in Summer 2014.[6] Support for a merger was building in both Germany and France. Presenting the project to French lawmakers in January 2015,[7] CEOs of both companies assumed that the new holding would boost production for both manufacturers by avoiding export restrictions, especially in Germany.[8] In July 2015 the French National Assembly voted in favour of a measure that permits the privatisation of state-owned defence companies, paving the way for KMW and Nexter to join forces.[9][10]

On 29 July 2015, the merger between the two companies was signed in Paris,[11] in the presence of Ursula von der Leyen and Jean-Yves le Drian.[9] It was remarked in 2015 that the corporate culture of Nexter led to outsourcing components, while that of KMW preferred to manufacture in-house.[9] KMW made the PzH 2000, while Nexter made the CAESAR.[9] The two merger firms complemented each other, instead of competing with each other.[9] KMW brought along to the merger its subsidiary WFEL, a British company.[12]

In December 2015, the merger was completed, when the supervisory board appointed the new CEO of Nexter Systems, Stéphane Mayer, and the chairman of the executive board of KMW, Frank Haun, as CEOs of the holding company.[13]

In July 2016, the French press seemed content with the merger of the manufacturers of the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks, although it was disappointed that the combined company was still 25% of the size of General Dynamics or BAE Systems.[14]

Prior to November 2018, the lead of the new Main Ground Combat System MBT was awarded to the German half of the firm, by decision of politicians in both France and Germany.[15]

In November 2018, Rheinmetall was thinking of taking over the 50% share of the German holding company, after the death of Manfred Bode.[15] In December 2018, it became apparent that Rheinmetall was seeking 75% of the whole KNDS company.[16]

In 2020, the number of employees at KNDS and its subsidiaries was 8,270, with a turnover of €2.4 billion, an order backlog of around €10.6 billion and an order intake of €3.3 billion. Its products include main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training, protection and a wide range of equipment.[17]

In 2023, KNDS decided to rename British subsidiary from WFEL (formerly Williams Fairey Engineering Limited) to KNDS UK.[18]

Products

In June 2018, the German and French ministries of defence signed a letter of intent for KNDS to develop the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), a common main battle tank, and the Common Indirect Fire System, a common 155 mm self-propelled artillery gun.[19]

KNDS tanks were able, as of 2024, to operate jointly with other ground, aerial and robotic vehicles through the use of multi-layer data networks. The main interface backbone is fully digital, via dual data bus and dual Ethernet, with a modular design, fully scalable and with an open upgradable architecture. All its functions are implemented in software. Thanks to the latest generation computing systems (hardware) high-performance calculations are implemented in real time, while there is availability of services in the whole range of high-speed data networks.[20]

Leopard 2 upgrade

One of KNDS's first projects was upgrading the Leopard 2, with a focus on increasing effectiveness against contemporary threats like anti-tank guided missiles and the Russian T-14 Armata tank.[21]

Main Ground Combat System

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Boxer AFV

Manufacture of the British Boxer AFV with an 8x8 chassis was sublicensed from WFEL, now KNDS UK, to MTL Advanced.[22]

Military bridges

KNDS UK is able to build portable Dry Support Bridges, that can support the weight of a Challenger 3 MBT.[23][18]

Notes

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  1. ^ According to the trade register maintained by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, the company's legal name was KMW + Nexter Defense Systems N.V. from 6 July 2016 to 14 June 2023, and Honosthor N.V. from 2 October 2015 to 6 July 2016.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rosemain, Mathieu; Hübner, Alexander (17 February 2026). "Germany pursues stake purchase in tank maker KNDS to keep influence, sources say". Reuters.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ruhkamp, Christoph (2025-08-14). "Industrial policy in the defence sector must become a priority". Börsen-Zeitung. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KVK Handelsregister historie" [Trade register history]. KVK Trade Register (in Nederlands). Netherlands Chamber of Commerce. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ^ KMW, Nexter Merger Completed Script error: No such module "webarchive".. defense-update.com. Retrieved 10 June 2016
  5. ^ Report: KMW, Nexter to sign merger agreement Script error: No such module "webarchive".. upi.com. Retrieved 13 June 2015
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nexter, KMW start talks on possible defence tie-up - source". July 2014.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Assemblée nationale ~ Compte rendu de réunion de la commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées".
  8. ^ Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées Script error: No such module "webarchive".. assemblee-nationale.fr. Retrieved 13 June 2015 (French)
  9. ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Comment le mariage entre Nexter et Krauss-Maffei a été blindé". 29 July 2015.
  10. ^ German, French tank makers could merge next week Script error: No such module "webarchive".. dw.com, 10 July 2015
  11. ^ German, French tank makers KMW and Nexter seal armoured vehicles tie-up Script error: No such module "webarchive".. economictimes.indiatimes.com, retrieved 27 July 2015
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Krauss-Maffei Wegmann on its acquisition of WFEL | Steen Associates".
  13. ^ Nexter Systems and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have completed their association Script error: No such module "webarchive".. nexter-group.fr. Retrieved 10 June 2016
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mariage de raison entre les chars Leclerc et Léopard". Le Monde.fr. 13 June 2016.
  15. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."L'Équilibre franco-allemand dans les blindés pourrait être remis en cause". 30 November 2018.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."L'Allemand Rheinmetall viserait 75% des parts de KNDS, l'alliance formée par Nexter et Krauss-Maffei Wegmann". 10 December 2018.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Home | KNDS". Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  18. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stockport manufacturer secures £150 million British Army contract". 25 January 2024.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KMW, Nexter join forces on main ground combat system, common indirect fire system", Def post, archived from the original on 2018-10-12, retrieved 2018-10-12.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."LEOPARD 1HEL: Πρόταση για την αναβάθμιση του άρματος από την ελληνική EODH" [LEOPARD 1HEL: Proposal to upgrade the tank from the Greek EODH] (in Ελληνικά). 2024-04-22.
  21. ^ German, French tank makers could merge next week Script error: No such module "webarchive".. DW, 10 July 2015
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."UK defence manufacturer secures £40m military vehicle contract - PES Media". 14 September 2023.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KNDS UK secures GBP 150 million contract for advanced military bridges". 31 January 2024.

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