According to Bloomberg, Rheinmetall AG’s President and Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger has already held talks with German politicians and representatives of the state-owned KfW Bankengruppe about Rheinmetall acquiring a stake in KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. The reported aim would be to create an industrial entity positioned as Europe’s undisputed leader in the production of armoured vehicles and self-propelled artillery systems.
Both companies already cooperate closely on several programmes, including the Leopard 2 main battle tank, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the GTK Boxer wheeled combat vehicle and the PzH 2000 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. However, similar initiatives have previously been blocked by Germany’s Federal Cartel Office due to concerns over market dominance, with Rheinmetall’s 2018 attempt to acquire Krauss-Maffei Wegmann failing amid opposition linked to the French government’s role through Nexter, now KNDS France.
Source: Bloomberg.
