One of the most powerful European conglomerates in arms production, KNDS, is set to open a subsidiary in Ukraine. This will enable the repair of Western weaponry and channel efforts towards ammunition production in Ukraine.
The agreement to establish a Ukrainian division of KNDS was reached between the Defense Ministers of Germany and France, Boris Pistorius and Sébastien Lecornu, respectively, as reported by Bloomberg.
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"We, France and Germany, both want to help Ukraine to make the ammunition production there more self-sufficient," Pistorius told reporters after the meeting.
Lecornu said KNDS, which makes products including Caesar self-propelled howitzers, artillery systems and armored vehicles, "will take a foothold in Ukraine with a local unit." He added: "The production of ammunition must move close to the front line, that will be very important for supplies."
And this is indeed of great significance for Ukraine because under the abbreviation KNDS stands the alliance of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter. And the flagships of these companies are well-known to everyone: the Leopard 2 tank and the Caesar self-propelled howitzers.
In particular, part of Nexter within KNDS includes the French Leclerc tank, the VBCI wheeled combat vehicle, as well as the entire range of armored vehicles under the SCORPION program for the French ground forces: the replacement of the VAB APC with the Griffon VBMR, the Jaguar combat reconnaissance vehicle, serving as a replacement for the AMX-10RC, and the Serval light multi-role armored vehicle (VBMR-L).
It also includes the highly potent production of ammunition of all calibers, ranging from 20mm to 155mm, known for its effectiveness against armored vehicles due to its self-guidance and precision, including the renowned Bonus munitions.
The German KMW is, of course, known for the Leopard 2, but also for the PzH 2000 together with the latest wheeled RCH-155 wheeled self-propelled artillery systems, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine are also set to receive.
This also includes the Dingo armored vehicles, the Puma IFV, the turret of which is used in the Boxer, as well as the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, which, although phased out of service, is still listed in KMW's product catalog.
Thus, KNDS covers a significant amount of weaponry already in use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and also allows for significantly accelerated cycles of weapon repair and restoration. Moreover, it is poised to become a base for its localized production in the future.
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