In the 2023 financial year, the Franco-German defence technology group KNDS experienced a surge in its order intake, surpassing the previous year by over 130 per cent.
This significant growth represents the highest recorded in the company’s history thus far and out of the 15 largest defence companies in Europe, KNDS stands at the forefront in terms of order expansion.
The primary factors contributing to KNDS’s order intake of EUR 7.8 billion were the successful implementation of the Leopard 2A8 programs, additional orders within an existing infantry fighting vehicle program, the acquisition of CAESAR artillery systems, and an increasing demand for ammunition across all calibres.
As of the end of 2023, KNDS’s order backlog amounted to an impressive EUR 15.7 billion. In addition to the remarkable order growth, KNDS also achieved a 2.5 per cent increase in sales, reaching 3.3 billion euros in the 2023 financial year.
This growth can be attributed primarily to the successful delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks and self-propelled howitzers 2000, the supply of vehicles as part of the Scorpion program, and the provision of artillery ammunition to European armies. Furthermore, the KNDS workforce expanded to 9,491 employees during the 2023 fiscal year.
The KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) is a European defence industry holding company resulting from the merger between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter Systems. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
