KNDS France

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KNDS France
FormerlyNexter (2006-2024), GIAT Industries (1973 - 2006)
Company type Société Anonyme
Industry Defence
PredecessorNexter, GIAT Industries
Founded1973;51 years ago (1973)
FounderFrench government
Headquarters,
France
Productsartillery, ammunition, military vehicles, tanks, electronics, robots, CBRN, optronics
Revenue
  • Increase2.svg €962 million (2018)
€118 million (2018)
Number of employees
3,700
Parent since 2015 KNDS
Website knds.fr/en

KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre, Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned as GIAT from 1991 to 2006 and as Nexter from 2006 to 2015, when it merged with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to form KNDS: a single company jointly owned, via holding companies, by the French state and the private owners of KMW. In 2024, Nexter was renamed KNDS France.

Contents

Group organization

KNDS France and its subsidiaries are divided into several smaller entities, with the main one being KNDS France. The sub-companies are:

History

The GIAT group was founded in 1973 by combining the industrial assets of the technical direction of Army weapons of the French Ministry of Defense. The company was nationalized in 1991. On 22 September 2006 GIAT became the core of the new company Nexter. [1]

For many years GIAT struggled to turn a profit. The company was operated at a loss. A 2001 report by the Cour des Comptes [2] and a 2002 report by the National Assembly [3] described the situation as critical. In April 2004 the board of directors presented the public with a financial statement showing a profit of several hundred million Euros. This was mainly due to increased export sales, and the modernization of the Leclerc Main Battle Tank (MBT) and several other armored platforms. Sales to the UAE however were accomplished with the payment of $200 million to intermediaries. [4]

In 2006, the THL-20 gun turret was selected by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for use on the HAL Light Combat Helicopter, incorporating the 20 mm M621 cannon. [5]

Rebranding as Nexter (2006)

On 21 September 2006, then-CEO Luc Vigneron announced that GIAT would soon complete a corporate restructuring that had been planned since 2003. The company's legacy product lines would be grouped under a holding company that would retain the GIAT name, while those slated for future development and expansion would be separated into four subsidiaries, all branded with the name "Nexter". The reorganization took effect on 1 December. [6]

Nexter has a joint venture CTA International with BAE Systems to develop and manufacture case telescoped weapon systems and ammunition of 40 mm calibre.[ citation needed ][ when? ]

Nexter continues to produce several former GIAT small arms, cannon, and anti-armour weapons. One such weapon is the Wasp 58, a low cost, one man antiarmour/assault weapon system.[ citation needed ][ when? ]

In May 2014 Nexter bought two artillery shell manufacturers: Mecar in Petit-Roeulx-les-Nivelles Belgium, and Simmel Difesa in Colleferro Italy. [7]

Merger with KMW (2015)

In 2015, Nexter and Krauss-Maffei merged under a single structure. The new KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) will be the European leader of terrestrial defense with more than 6,000 employees. 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. [8]

On 24 October 2023, Nexter's Mecar subsidiary announced that it had found an investment of €15 million for a 155mm artillery shell production facility. [9] A guarantee by the Belgian Defense Ministry of €10 million was needed to initiate construction. [10] In May 2024 the price of the munitions was between €7,000 and €10,000. [10] The facility would be able to produce roughly 100 shells per day, [10] which was then roughly a third of the number of heavy artillery shells produced at KNDS overall. [11] At the time, Mecar did not have permission to handle explosives, so the shells needed to be sent away for final assembly. [11] In May 2024 the Belgian defense minister Ludivine Dedonder signed a contract with Nexter to buy 4,000 shells annually for the next 20 years. [12]

In February 2024 Nexter signed an agreement with a Saudi group called Wahaj that they would together develop a guided shell for use with the 156 CAESAR artillery delivery systems that were on order by the Saudi government, which had established more stringent precision standards than normal. The state-of-the-art ordnance systems used GPS and IMU; the newly-specified "Sabir" system would add a (drone-mounted) laser pointer feature and have a range of 60km. In addition, the Saudis prize the ITAR-free status of their new shells. [13]

Rebranding as KNDS France (2024)

As a result of the merger of Nexter Systems into KNDS, the KNDS brand replaced the Nexter brand in June 2023. In April 2024, the Nexter Systems subsidiary was officially renamed KNDS France, while Krauss-Maffei Wegmann became KNDS Deutschland. [14]

Products

Nexter designs and manufactures military protected vehicles for the French military and other international militaries:

The company also acquired a large influence in the field of combat and artillery vehicles thanks to the development of several large caliber cannons:

And several types of munitions for medium and large-calibre weapons:

Nexter/GIAT also manufactures various weapons:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M109 howitzer</span> American 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

The M109 is an American 155 mm turreted self-propelled howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s to replace the M44. It has been upgraded a number of times, most recently to the M109A7. The M109 family is the most common Western indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leclerc tank</span> Main battle tank

The Leclerc is a third-generation French main battle tank developed and manufactured by Nexter Systems. It was named in honour of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, a commander of the Free French Forces, who led the 2nd Armoured Division in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)</span> Multinational wheeled armoured fighting vehicle

The Boxer is a multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed by an international consortium to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules. The governments participating in the Boxer programme have changed as the programme has developed. The Boxer vehicle is produced by the ARTEC GmbH industrial group, and the programme is being managed by OCCAR. ARTEC GmbH is based in Munich; its parent companies are KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co and Rheinmetall Land Systeme GmbH on the German side, and Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V. for the Netherlands. Overall, Rheinmetall has a 64% stake in the joint venture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panzerhaubitze 2000</span> German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

The Panzerhaubitze 2000, meaning "armoured howitzer 2000" and abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall in the 1980s and 1990s for the German Army. The PzH 2000 has automatic support for up to five rounds of multiple round simultaneous impact. Replenishment of shells is automated. Two operators can load 60 shells and propelling charges in less than 12 minutes. The PzH 2000 equips the armies of Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Qatar, and Croatia, mostly replacing older systems such as the M109 howitzer.

KraussMaffei is a German manufacturing company. It is a manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMX-10 RC</span> French armored reconnaissance vehicle

The AMX-10 RC is a French armoured fighting vehicle manufactured by Nexter Systems for armoured reconnaissance purposes. Equipping French cavalry units since 1981, over 240 remained in service with the French Army in 2021. 108 units were sold to Morocco and 12 to Qatar. "RC" stands for "Roues-Canon", meaning "wheeled gun". English language newspapers have often incorrectly referred to it as a light tank, a mistranslation of the French term "char", which refers to a wider category of armoured fighting vehicles than the English word "tank".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M101 howitzer</span> US-made towed howitzer

The M101A1 howitzer is an artillery piece developed and used by the United States. It was the standard U.S. light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters and during the Korean War. Entering production in 1941, it quickly gained a reputation for accuracy and a powerful punch. The M101A1 fires 105 mm high explosive (HE) semi-fixed ammunition and has a range of 12,330 yards (11,270 m), making it suitable for supporting infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAESAR self-propelled howitzer</span> French 155 mm artillery

The Camion Équipé d'un Système d'Artillerie or CAESAR is a French 155 mm, 52-caliber self-propelled howitzer that can fire 39/52 caliber NATO-standard shells. It is installed on a 6x6 or 8x8 truck chassis. Equipped with an autonomous weapon network incorporating an inertial navigation system and ballistic computer, the CAESAR can accurately strike targets more than 40 kilometres (25 mi) away using "Extended Range, Full Bore" (ERFB) ammunition with base bleed, or targets over 55 kilometres (34 mi) away using rocket-assisted or smart ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fennek</span> German scout car

The Fennek, named after the fennec, or LGS Fennek, with LGS being short for Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen in German, is a four-wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle produced by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems. The Turkish company FNSS Defence Systems acquired the right for licence production in 2004. It was developed for both the German Army and Royal Netherlands Army to replace their current vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRF1</span> French towed howitzer

The TRF1, originally known as GIAT 155 mm Tracté (TR) is a 155mm French towed howitzer produced by Nexter and used by the French Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNDS Deutschland</span> German defense manufacturer

KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co, formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW), is an arms industry company based in Munich, Germany. The company produces military weapons and vehicles, including tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other armoured vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">155 mm caliber</span> Common type of artillery calibre

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artillery Gun Module</span> German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

The Artillery Gun Module is an air-portable 155 mm self-propelled howitzer designed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. It is based on technology used in the German Army Panzerhaubitze 2000 system, to provide more air portable self-propelled artillery, transportable by Airbus A400 aircraft.

Mecar is a Belgian weapon and ammunition manufacturing company headquartered in Petit-Roeulx-lez-Nivelles, Hainaut Province. Mecar manufactures weapons ranging from grenades to lightweight anti-tank cannons. It now produces arms for NATO, Belgium, and other various countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bofors/Nexter Bonus</span> Swedish/French 155 mm artillery cluster round

The BONUS or ACED is a 155 mm artillery cluster round co-developed and manufactured by Bofors of Sweden and Nexter of France. It was designed to fulfill a long range, indirect fire, top attack requirement against armoured fighting vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNDS</span> French-German defence company

KNDS, formerly KMW+Nexter Defense Systems, 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.

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The Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is a project launched in 2017 by Germany and France, aiming to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battle tanks. Coordinated by Germany, in contrast to the other major Franco-German program launched in 2018, the MGCS will not be a single armoured fighting vehicle, but a series of systems conceived around said vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCH 155</span> German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

The RCH 155 is a wheeled self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, a German defence company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">40CT cannon</span> Cased telescoped autocannon

The 40CTC is a 40 mm autocannon and the central component of the Franco-British 40CTAS developed by CTA International. It is designed to fire 40mm telescoped ammunition. This format provides significant benefit within vehicles in the space envelope required for the gun and the ammunition storage. However, the selection of the unfielded, thus unproven, new design for major French and British programmes was controversial.

References

  1. History of the Nexter company Archived 2007-07-02 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Les industries d'armement: rapport au Président de la République suivis des réponses des administrations et des organismes concernés Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine , Cour des Comptes, La Documentation Française, 2001
  3. Rapport d'information déposé par la commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées sur la situation de Giat Industries, "Report from the defense and armed forces commission on the situation of Giat Industries", presented by Yves Fromion and Jean Diébold, French National Assembly, 2002
  4. The Shadowy Arms Trade - A Look Back at a Questionable Tank Deal "An intermediary received a commission of almost $200 million for the sale of battle tanks to United Arab Emirates. Some of that money, though, may have been used to bribe government officials."
  5. "Missile Mirage", Aviation Week & Space Technology , January 1, 2007.
  6. Ruello, Alain (22 September 2006). "Giat Industries change de nom pour tourner la page des restructurations" [Giat Industries changes its name to turn the page on restructuring]. Les Echos (in French). Paris, France. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. "Nexter grossit et rachète Mecar et Simmel Difesa". FOB - Forces Operations Blog. 2014-04-24.
  8. Nexter Systems and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have completed their association Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine . nexter-group.fr. Retrieved 10 June 2016
  9. "L'Entreprise de défense Mecar prévoit une diversification de ses activités". Belga. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 Gerard, Simon (30 May 2024). "Le fabricant de munitions KNDS à Petit-Roeulx investit pour produire des obus destinés en partie à l'Ukraine". RTL info (in French). Brussels, Belgium: RTL Belgium SA . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Mecar va produire un tiers des obus d'artillerie lourde de KNDS" . L'Echo (in French). Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  12. Bilmez, Melinda (29 May 2024). "Un obus d'artillerie de calibre 155 mm produit à Nivelles: "Il répond au besoin de la Défense belge", mais aidera aussi l'Ukraine". RTL info (in French). Brussels, Belgium: RTL Belgium SA . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  13. Lagneau, Laurent (16 February 2024). "KNDS France va développer un nouvel obus guidé de 155 mm en partenariat avec une entreprise saoudienne". Opex360. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  14. "Uniform brand identity: Land defence group KNDS completes the legal renaming of its Group companies" (Press release). Amsterdam, Netherlands: KNDS. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.