KNDS opens a subsidiary in Ukraine

1 October, 2024 Caesar self-propelled gun at the Nexter plant. Photo credits: KNDS The French-German defense giant KNDS has started operations in Ukraine and opened a local representative office in Kyiv.

The news was published on the company's website. KNDS has opened KNDS Ukraine LLC, a subsidiary in Kyiv that will support cooperation with Ukrainian government agencies and defense companies. Its creation results from a joint French-German government initiative presented by the Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu and his counterpart Boris Pistorius in Berlin in March this year.

Among other things, the company will help the Ukrainian industry to more efficiently carry out maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the company's weapons. These include Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks, CAESAR and PzH 2000 artillery systems, and AMX 10RC armored vehicles. In addition, KNDS and the Ukrainian industry also intend to produce 155mm artillery ammunition and spare parts jointly in Ukraine.

An employee of the Mecar (KNDS) company manufactures the case of a 120mm mortar rounds.

Photo credits: KNDS

The company noted that Ukraine is using or has contracted nearly 800 weapons and ammunition produced by the French-German company on the front line, making it one of the most important industrial partners.

KNDS facilities in Ukraine

Supporting the repair capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry means prioritizing the production of parts that break down frequently in Ukraine. This way, the company wants to simplify logistical issues during the repair and maintenance of the relevant equipment and speed up its return to the battlefield. In the future, the subsidiary will also potentially be able to produce complete systems from scratch at its facilities.

In late March, Militarny reported that KNDS was to send Ukrainian personnel to France for training this year.

According to a representative of the French company NEXTER, the possibility of sending company representatives to Ukraine has also not been ruled out.

Previously, KNDS stated that it would supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with 54 of the latest RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzers.