With an increase in its order intake of more than 40% over the previous year, the Franco-German defense group KNDS achieved all-time high results for the second year in row.
The main drivers behind KNDS’ record order intake, worth a total of 11.2 billion euros, were the national and international LEOPARD 2 A8 programs, SERVAL for France, the howitzer-system RCH 155 for Ukraine, CAESAR export, BOXER for Lithuania and other SCORPION vehicles, as well as significant increased orders for ammunition and support.
At the end of 2024, the KNDS order backlog stood at 23.5 billion euros, up 15 percent on 2023. The strong momentum in Europe continues, thanks to the KNDS Group’s ability to provide its customers with solutions tailored to their needs, particularly with the “Weapons & Ammunition” pairing, which benefits from the complementary nature of the Franco-German offering.
In 2024, KNDS sales increased to 3.8 billion euros. All business units of the Group contributed to this strong organic growth, which generated satisfactory profitability in line with industry expectations. This mainly resulted from the delivery of LEOPARD 2 Main Battle Tanks, the wheeled vehicles GRIFFON, SERVAL, JAGUAR of the SCORPION program and the BOXER System to international customers. In addition, the Leclerc upgrade program and the ammunition deliveries contributed to this improved result.
With almost 1,000 new hires in 2024, KNDS’ workforce has exceeded 10,000 and will reach 11,000 during 2025.
In 2025, the Group aims to continue contributing significantly to the necessary increase of the interoperable capabilities of the European armies by strengthening its industrial foothold in Europe and by further industrial cooperation with its partners in Europe and Ukraine.
KNDS forms a Group of around 10 000 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 strategic alliance between 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, it 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. (Photo: LEOPARD 2 Main Battle Tank © KNDS)
