The Norwegian Army received its first two Leopard 2A8NO tanks on 30 April 2026. KNDS is manufacturing 17 vehicles under the contract, while the remaining 37 will come from the new Norwegian line.
“Together with our partner RITEK, we have built a production line without delay, from which the Leopard 2A8NO systems will be supplied to the Norwegian Army,” said Florian Hohenwarter, chief executive of KNDS Deutschland. “This not only fulfills our contract with a key customer, but the Levanger site is also of great importance to us with regard to scaling our production capacities.”
The partners completed the production and testing infrastructure in 18 months. The facility includes a laser track, steep slopes and a diving pool for vehicle testing.
Geothermal sources supply the plant’s energy. RITEK, which specialises in servicing and maintaining vehicle systems, is KNDS’s Norwegian partner.
The factory gives Norway a domestic manufacturing role in its Leopard procurement programme. It also expands KNDS’s tank production capacity in Europe.
KNDS was formed through the alliance of Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and supplies military vehicles, ammunition and support services. The group employs more than 11,000 people and serves more than 40 armies worldwide.
The company reported revenue of €3.8 billion in 2024. It cited an order backlog of €23.5 billion in the announcement.
