Under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Defense, Leonardo and KNDS have signed an agreement for further development of a more intensive cooperation.
The aim is to create a truly European Defense Group and, in addition, to cooperate more closely in the field of land based electronics.
Such a strategic alliance will enable the implementation of programs in cooperation among European nations, by strengthening their national industrial base and developing the future generation of armored vehicle platforms, including Main Ground Combat System.
This alliance supports the strategy defined by the Italian MoD in the Documento Programmatico Difesa 2023-2025 and in the Action Plan of the Agreement recently signed by the Governments of Italy and Germany.
In addition, Leonardo and KNDS have also signed an Agreement to jointly implement the planned Main Battle Tank (MBT) procurement programme with a solution based on LEOPARD 2 A8.
The Companies will collaborate in the development, manufacturing and maintenance of the LEOPARD 2 A8 solution for the Italian Army, as well as the support platforms.
The alliance between Leonardo and KNDS aims to create further production and development capabilities in Italy and to use these for future European and export projects.
The Italian Ministry of Defence is currently working on two major programs for the renewal of its Land Forces:
- firstly, the procurement of the LEOPARD MBT with support vehicles
- secondly, new Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) under the programme name AICS plus combat support systems
Source: https://www.leonardo.com/en/media-hub/press-releases
