Christian Budde
KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Krauss-Maffei-Str. 11
D-80997 München
Tel.: +49 89 8140-5498
Fax: +49 89 8140-4977
E-Mail: knds-pressservice (at) knds.de
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Krauss-Maffei Wegmann acquires stake in Milrem Robotics
31.05.2021The leading developer and manufacturer of military robotic land systems in Europe, Milrem Robotics, and the German systems house for main battle tanks and combat systems Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The contract provides for KMW to acquire a minority stake of 24.9% in Milrem Robotics.
Milrem Robotics will remain as an independent company.
Both companies announced they will work closely together in development of the European Center of Excellence for Military Robotics in Estonia.
The objective is to combine the know-how and expertise of both companies to develop innovative solutions to meet the requirements of future military missions involving the interaction of manned and unmanned systems.
"We intend to become the European centre of excellence for unmanned technology and robotics innovations. The partnership with KMW facilitates further innovations for future products and services, especially in the area of the teaming of manned and unmanned systems and sensor-to-shooter solutions," emphasised Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
"KMW as the European market leader for land systems and Milrem Robotics as the European market leader for unmanned land systems are an excellent fit. Our collaboration gives us the opportunity to work on innovative and new solutions that will impact the future of the defence industry. In addition, further synergies are also expected from this cooperation in the context of KNDS," says Horst Rieder, CFO of KMW.
The objective of the cooperation on the part of KMW is the integration of modern leading robotics systems into KMW's technology systems.
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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.