The KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) is a European defence industry holding company, which is the result of a merger between
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces various types of equipment as well as rail locomotives, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoured vehicles.
KMW was ...
and
Nexter Systems
Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire.
Group organization
The Nexter group is ...
. The joint holding company is based in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
,
Netherlands
)
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
History
KNDS is the joint holding company formed by German family-controlled defence company
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces various types of equipment as well as rail locomotives, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoured vehicles.
KMW was ...
(KMW) and the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Nexter
Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire.
Group organization
The Nexter group is ...
, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems.
Negotiations between the companies and the German and French governments started in Summer 2014 and support for a merger has been building in both Germany and France. Presenting the project to French lawmakers in January 2015, CEOs of both companies assumed that the new holding would boost production for both manufacturers by avoiding
export restriction
Export restrictions, or a restriction on exportation, are limitations on the quantity of goods exported to a specific country or countries by a Government. Export restrictions could be aimed at achieving diverse policy objectives such as environ ...
s, especially in Germany. In July 2015 the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
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. On 29 July 2015 the merger between the two companies had been officially signed in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The merger was completed in December 2015 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.
The total number of employees at KNDS and its subsidiaries is 8,270 with a year 2020 turnover of €2.4 billion, an order backlog of around €10.6 billion and an order intake of €3.3 billion. The range of its products includes 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.
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
The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is a project launched in 2012 by Germany and France, aiming to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks..
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 missile
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...
s and the Russian
T-14 Armata
The T-14 Armata ( rus, Т-14 «Армата»; industrial designation russian: Объект 148, Ob'yekt 148, Object 148), is a next-generation Russian main battle tank based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform.
The Russian Army initially p ...
The Common Indirect Fire System (CIFS) is a French-German program to develop a
155mm
155 mm (6.1 in) is a common, NATO-standard, artillery caliber. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425. It is commonly used in field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers.
Land warfare
The caliber originated in France after ...
self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
gun. Introduction of the CIFS is scheduled for 2040.