PRESS RELEASE
KNDS and Leonardo Agree on Joint Product Development
Amsterdam, 16 December 2025 – KNDS Deutschland (KNDS) and the Italian defense company Leonardo will together develop a mobile artillery system. A corresponding Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed in Amsterdam, the headquarters of KNDS, by Florian Hohenwarter, incoming CEO of KNDS Deutschland, and Roberto Cingolani, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo.
This newly-developed artillery system will be based on the KNDS Artillery Gun Module and an enhanced version of Leonardo's protected wheeled vehicle platform.
Both companies intend to intensify industrial cooperation to improve supply chain resilience and time to market. The companies will offer their joint solution for the upcoming procurement program of the Italian Army.
The combination of Leonardo's state-of-the-art electronics, C5I, UAV defense technologies and new wheeled vehicle platform, together with KNDS's most advanced artillery system, will significantly contribute to increasing the system's combat power and effectiveness.
"This Letter of Intent is an important step toward improving the interoperability of European land forces and the cooperation of European industry," says Florian Hohenwarter, incoming CEO of KNDS Deutschland.
“This collaborative effort once again confirms our commitment to developing integrated capabilities able to meet evolving market requirements in the new operational scenarios”, says Roberto Cingolani, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo.
Press Contact
Véronique Creissels
Chief Communications Officer
Telefon: +31 6 2470 3239
E-Mail: veronique.creissels@knds.nl
www.knds.com
About KNDS
KNDS is the leading pan-European land defence company, uniting over 10,000 employees and generating €3.8 billion in revenue in 2024. With a strong order backlog of €23.5 billion, the group delivers innovative complete mission solutions built on state-of-the art technologies. Leveraging deep industrial expertise and strong partnerships, KNDS develops open, interoperable solutions combining manned and unmanned systems, designed to meet tomorrow’s operational challenges. As a prime contractor, it provides full system-of-systems capabilities, from platforms to ammunition and services, managing the entire value chain and encompassing complete product life cycles
Born from the alliance of Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, uniting key nations within a single group, KNDS embodies the path toward a collective and efficient future for the sovereignty and security of Europe’s defence by supporting the standardization and interoperability between European and NATO forces.
Trusted by 24 European armies and 19 worldwide, KNDS benefits from decades of combat-proven experience. KNDS embodies a united, efficient model to enhance stability and long-term security in Europe and beyond.
About Leonardo
Leonardo is an international industrial group, among the main global companies in Aerospace, Defence, and Security (AD&S). With 60,000 employees worldwide, the company approaches global security through the Helicopters, Electronics, Aeronautics, Cyber & Security and Space sectors, and is a partner on the most important international programmes such as Eurofighter, JSF, NH-90, FREMM, GCAP, and Eurodrone. Leonardo has significant production capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, and the USA. Leonardo utilises its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and shareholdings, which include Leonardo DRS (71.4%), MBDA (25%), ATR (50% ), Hensoldt (22.8%), Telespazio (67%), Thales Alenia Space (33%), and Avio (19.3%). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2024 Leonardo recorded new orders for €20.9 billion, with an order book of €44.2 billion and consolidated revenues of €17.8 billion. Included in the MIB ESG index, the company has also been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010.
Press office
PH: +39 06 32473313
leonardopressoffice@leonardo.com
Investor Relations
PH: +39 06 32473512
ir@leonardo.com
