Press Release
KMW establishes KNDS service base in Slovakia for Ukraine
Amsterdam, 15th November 2022
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG (KMW) is establishing a KNDS base in Slovakia to provide logistical support to Ukraine. The arrangement is based on a corresponding agreement between the Federal Government of Germany and the Government of the Slovak Republic.
The task of the service hub will be the rapid maintenance and repair of vehicles from the KNDS subsidiaries KMW and NEXTER. These include the self-propelled howitzer PzH 2000, the CAESAR wheeled howitzer, the GEPARD self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and the MARS II artillery rocket system, as well as the DINGO armored transport vehicle.
Work has already begun on the construction of the KNDS service hub.
KNDS, the market leader for heavily armored wheeled and tracked vehicles in Europe, will install the MAINTENT mobile maintenance facility at the site and operate it with KMW personnel. The MAINTENT provides the space needed to work on six vehicles simultaneously on an area of 800 square meters, so that they can rapidly be returned to Ukraine. The KNDS service hub will be fully operational by early December 2022 and is initially expected to operate until the end of 2024. KNDS intends to cooperate with other companies in the European defense industry in the course of further expansion.
Ms. Ingrid Jaegering is newly appointed to the Board of Directors and will be taking the previous seat of Dr. Wolfgang Buechele.
Felix Bode, Antoine Bouvier, Dr. Juergen Cammann, Werner Frank, Pierre Jeannin and Alexandre Lahousse remain unchanged members of the KNDS Board of Directors.
Until the arrival of Jean-Paul Alary, who will replace Frank Haun as CEO and Board member of KNDS N.V., Philippe Balducchi will temporarily hold these two positions in addition to his Group CFO role.
Press contact
Dr. Kurt Braatz Chief Communications Officer Phone: +31 20 218 4710 E-Mail: kurt.braatz (at) knds.nl
KNDS is the result of the association of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems based in Germany and France. KNDS forms a Group of around 9,500 employees, with a 2023 turnover of 3.3 billion euro, an order backlog of around 16 billion euro and incoming orders of 7.8 billion euro. The range of its products includes main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a wide range of equipment. The formation of KNDS represents the beginning of consolidation in land defense systems industry in Europe. The alliance of KMW and Nexter enhances both groups’ competitiveness and international positions, as well as their ability to meet the needs of their respective national army. In addition, KNDS offers to its European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization and interoperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable industrial base. KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.
