The Franco-German association KNDS interrupted negotiations with the Italian Leonardo on a possible partnership between the two companies due to disagreements over the configuration of the Leopard 2A8 tank, the Hartpunkt news portal reported on June 11.
KNDS NV, a leading European manufacturer of military land systems based in Amsterdam, said it suspended negotiations with Leonardo SpA on a possible partnership between the two companies due to differences in the configuration of the Leopard 2 main battle tank.
As evident from the KNDS statement, negotiations began in December 2023 and the strategic objective of the negotiations was to create a partnership between Leonardo’s defense division and KNDS. In addition, the joint development and production of the KNDS Leopard 2A8 tank would be carried out within the framework of the Italian Ministry of Defense’s procurement program.
According to Frank Haun, CEO of KNDS NV, the Leopard 2 represents the continental and NATO standard for main battle tanks and is in service in 18 countries.
“It is more important than ever to ensure that this standard contributes significantly to ensuring interoperability and joint combat capability between European and NATO armies. The parties could not reach an agreement on the configuration, so negotiations on Leonardo’s strategic participation in KNDS also failed.”Haun explained.
However, the general director of KNDS N. V assured that the company remains interested in supporting the Italian army.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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