The company also announced a strategic partnership with the DRÄXLMAIER Group to support production scaling. The collaboration will focus on manufacturing BOXER mission modules at DRÄXLMAIER’s Bavarian facilities.
The new production line will produce ten BOXER drive modules per month at the Munich/Allach site. Additional facilities within KNDS and its partner network are expected to further increase output.
The expansion is part of a wider programme to increase BOXER production volumes sixfold by 2030. This is intended to meet growing requirements, including those of the German Army.
Florian Hohenwarter, Chief Executive Officer of KNDS Deutschland, said: “Many armed forces and governments clearly expect us to increase production to boost Europe’s defence capabilities.” He added: “Bavaria plays a special role for KNDS in this.”
He said the company would continue investing in the region. “We will continue to invest in our locations in Bavaria and we will expand our activities. I thank Minister-President Söder for the support we receive here,” he said.
Hohenwarter also highlighted the importance of the new industrial partnership. “I am pleased that we have found a partner in DRÄXLMAIER with whom we can work together in a trusting and collaborative manner on the necessary scaling of our production,” he said.
He added: “We are expanding our production capacities through a player from the non-defense sector, entirely in line with the requirements for the timely scaling of our production.”
Under the agreement, DRÄXLMAIER will produce a significant number of BOXER mission modules at its Landau an der Isar site. The cooperation was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed during a visit by Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder.
Jan Reblin, Chief Executive Officer of DRÄXLMAIER Group, said: “With over 65 years of experience in the development, validation, and industrialization of series production products for the automotive industry, we are specifically contributing our process and technological expertise to the manufacturing of complex subsystems.” He added: “The partnership with KNDS is a significant milestone for us and unites two high-performing Bavarian companies in a stable industrial collaboration.”
Söder said: “The collaboration between KNDS and Dräxlmaier is a perfect match.” He added: “We need a strong defense industry with our own technologies from Germany to be able to defend ourselves.”
He said Bavaria plays a key role in the sector. “Bavaria is number one in Germany in the field of defense tech: One-third of all German companies in this sector operate in the Free State, employing 50,000 people and generating € 9.5 billion in added value,” he said.
The BOXER vehicle is a modular 8×8 platform designed for multiple roles. It is used in configurations ranging from ambulances to armoured personnel carriers and wheeled artillery systems.
The platform provides protection against mines, improvised explosive devices and gunfire, while maintaining high mobility across varied terrain. More than 2,000 BOXER systems are currently in service or on order across several countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia.
