French-German tank producer KNDS to open production in Ukraine
Photo: Х / Sébastien Lecornu
Paris and Berlin have agreed to allow the French-German company KNDS, which produces tanks, among other things, to establish production in Ukraine.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced this during a meeting with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, Reuters reports.
"We announce… that the French-German company will start operating in Ukraine, establishing a branch there," the French minister said after talks with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
The KNDS branch will produce ammunition as well as spare parts to service German and French systems already in Ukraine. Later, it will also be able to manufacture complete systems.
The parties have made a breakthrough in the joint development of a new tank, the MGCS, which is intended to replace the German Leopard 2 and the French Leclerc.
Pistorius called the deal historic and noted that it included an agreement to evenly distribute industrial volumes between the two countries.
Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that the industrial burden of the project would be evenly distributed. The official document for the start of the first stage of development of the new equipment will be signed in Paris on April 26, according to the news agency.
About the KNDS company
KNDS is a merger of the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the French Nexter Systems, both involved in armored vehicle production. The companies merged in July 2015. The mentioned MGCS tank is also produced by the French-German enterprise jointly with the Rheinmetall group. According to Defence Express, such equipment is expected to be in service for both countries by 2035.
