Local military production boost in Ukraine with franco-german arms giant KNDS to open branch
A branch of the Franco-German arms manufacturer KNDS, which produces Caesar self-propelled guns, will be established in Ukraine. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a letter of intent regarding this matter.
On 7 June, the Franco-German conglomerate KNDS and the Ukrainian company ENMEK signed two letters of intent concerning creating the conglomerate's branch in Ukraine. This agreement followed Zelensky's discussions at the French Ministry of Defense with the head of the department, Sebastien Lecornu, and KNDS's CEO, Philippe Petitcolin.
One of the letters of intent focuses on establishing a service centre for Caesar's self-propelled guns in Ukraine, while the other pertains to 3D-printing spare parts for them.
An agreement was also formalized to transfer the licensed production of 155mm calibre projectiles to Ukraine.
Artillery systems, tanks, and self-propelled guns
The French and German defence ministers, Sebastien Lecornu and Boris Pistorius announced the plan to establish a KNDS branch in Ukraine at the end of March this year. At that time, it was noted that the new branch in Ukraine would produce spare parts and train local staff.
KNDS is one of the leading European manufacturers of weapons for land forces. It is a joint venture of the French manufacturer Nexter and the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. KNDS produces artillery systems, combat tanks, and Caesar self-propelled artillery systems used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
