Manufacturer catalog

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) was the Munich-based German land-systems builder that later became KNDS Deutschland. It develops, produces, and supports heavily armored wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery systems, and bridge-laying equipment, and in this catalog it anchors the Leopard, Gepard, and PzH 2000 manufacturer facets.

9 weapons

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is the historical KMW name for the Munich land-systems builder now known as KNDS Deutschland. The profile keeps the older name visible so the catalog can connect legacy references, current branding, and the company website that still describes the successor business in Munich.

The catalog uses this profile to keep the builder context attached to Leopard, Gepard, and PzH 2000 records while preserving the name change that moved the operating company from KMW to KNDS Deutschland in April 2024.

Armored vehiclesArtillery systemsBridging systemsTraining and simulationLifecycle support

Notable Systems

Leopard 1, Main battle tank, Tanks

Leopard 1

Main battle tank

Legacy main battle tank family that remains part of the builder's public product lineage.

Sources: manufacturer, background
Leopard 2R HMBV, Armored mine-breaching engineering vehicle, Support Equipment

Leopard 2

Armored mine-breaching engineering vehicle

Current main battle tank family highlighted on the company's product pages and in the catalog.

Sources: manufacturer, background
Flakpanzer Gepard, Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense

Flakpanzer Gepard

Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun

Tracked short-range air-defense vehicle listed among the builder's public systems.

Sources: manufacturer, background
PzH 2000, 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, Artillery

PzH 2000

155 mm self-propelled howitzer

155 mm self-propelled howitzer that anchors the builder's artillery portfolio.

Sources: manufacturer, background

Manufacturer History

  1. KMW lineage begins

    KNDS's French history page traces the company line to 1999, when Wegmann & Co. acquired 51 percent of Krauss-Maffei's weapons division and the KMW identity emerged.

    Sources: KNDS Deutschland history page

  2. KNDS is formed

    KNDS's history page records the association of KMW and Nexter on 15 December 2015 under a Dutch holding company based in Amsterdam.

    Sources: KNDS history page

  3. RCH 155 firing-on-the-move demonstration

    KNDS's history page records the public demonstration of the RCH 155 at Klietz, showing the company's continued work on advanced artillery systems.

    Sources: KNDS history page

  4. KMW becomes KNDS Deutschland

    KNDS announced that Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG was formally renamed KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG effective 8 April 2024.

    Sources: KNDS legal renaming press release

Successors
KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG

Manufacturer Images

KNDS logo
Current KNDS branding used by the successor company after the 2024 renaming.KNDS via Wikimedia Commons | Public domainSource: KNDS via Wikimedia Commons
Website links
Official KNDS Deutschland pageKNDS historyKNDS legal renaming press release

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann was renamed KNDS Deutschland in April 2024, so the profile keeps the historical KMW name while aliasing the current KNDS name for older and newer catalog references.

Manufacturer Sources

  • KNDS Deutschland history pagePublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports the 1999 KMW origin story, the Wegmann acquisition of Krauss-Maffei's weapons division, and the longer corporate lineage that led into KNDS Deutschland. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • KNDS Deutschland pagePublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports KNDS Deutschland as the Munich-based systems supplier for heavily armored wheeled and tracked vehicles, its current address, and its catalog-relevant product areas. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • KNDS history pagePublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports the 2015 formation of KNDS and the company history context behind the KMW and Nexter association. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • KNDS legal renaming press releasePublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports the 8 April 2024 renaming of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG to KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Kraus-Maffei-Allach.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the Allach facility photo; the file page states attribution-only reuse and shows the Munich site associated with the builder. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • KNDS logo.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the KNDS text logo; Commons marks it as public domain and the file is used for the successor-brand identity. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

1/1

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

2/2
Fennek Reconnaissance Vehicle, Armored reconnaissance vehicle, Armored Vehicles2001 War in Afghanistan, 2012 Mali War +1 moreFennek Reconnaissance VehicleArmored reconnaissance vehicleBuilt in: Germany / NetherlandsThe Fennek is a German-Dutch 4x4 armored reconnaissance vehicle built around a low silhouette, mast-mounted observation equipment, protected mobility, and small three-person scout teams. Germany, the Netherlands, and Qatar field reconnaissance-family variants, while official and UN reporting documents Fennek vehicles in Afghanistan, MINUSMA operations in Mali, and Dutch military support to Ukraine.
ATF Dingo, Protected mobility vehicle, Armored Vehicles2001 War in Afghanistan, 2012 Mali War +2 moreATF DingoProtected mobility vehicleBuilt in: GermanyThe ATF Dingo is a German all-protected wheeled mobility vehicle built around patrol, convoy, command, reconnaissance, ambulance, and specialist support missions. Its Dingo 2 family combines a militarized Unimog-based chassis, a protected safety cell, remote-weapon-station options, and mine, IED, ballistic, and NBC protection; German and allied forces used it in Afghanistan, Belgian MINUSMA troops operated Dingo 2 vehicles in Mali, and Germany supplied Dingos to Kurdish forces in Iraq and later to Ukraine.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

1/1

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

1/1
Leopard 2R HMBV, Armored mine-breaching engineering vehicle, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine WarLeopard 2R HMBVArmored mine-breaching engineering vehicleBuilt in: Finland / GermanyThe Leopard 2R HMBV is a Finnish Patria conversion of the Leopard 2A4 chassis into a turretless armored engineering vehicle for minefield breaching, lane marking, dozer work, and route opening. Finland supplied all six known Leopard 2R vehicles to Ukraine in 2023 with training and maintenance support, giving Ukrainian engineering units a rare Leopard-based breaching system for mined and contested terrain.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

4/4
Leopard 1A5, Main battle tank, Tanks1992 Bosnian War, 2014 Russia-Ukraine WarLeopard 1A5Main battle tankBuilt in: GermanyThe Leopard 1A5 is the late fire-control modernization of Germany's Leopard 1 main battle tank, retaining the 105 mm L7-series gun while adding thermal sighting, laser ranging, and ballistic-computer upgrades. Danish A5 DK tanks saw direct conflict use in Bosnia in the 1990s, and refurbished A5-family vehicles later entered Ukrainian service as mobile direct-fire support tanks with better sighting and logistics than many older Soviet designs but far less protection than Leopard 2 variants.
Leopard 2, Main battle tank, Tanks2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2011 Syrian Civil War +1 moreLeopard 2Main battle tankBuilt in: GermanyThe Leopard 2 is Germany's long-running NATO-standard main battle tank family, built around Rheinmetall 120 mm smooth-bore guns, modular protection, and repeated fire-control upgrades. The A4 became the widely exported baseline branch, the A6/A6M brought the longer L55 gun and mine-protection changes into combat service, and later A7/A8 work adds digital systems, programmable ammunition, and active-protection integration. Combat documentation spans Canadian A6M use in Afghanistan, Turkish A4 losses in Syria, and donor-supplied Leopard 2A4, Leopard 2A6, and Strv 122 tanks in Ukrainian service.
Strv 122, Main battle tank, Tanks2014 Russia-Ukraine WarStrv 122Main battle tankBuilt in: Germany / SwedenThe Strv 122, formally Stridsvagn 122, is Sweden's Leopard 2-based main battle tank, adapted for Swedish service with a four-person crew, a 120 mm smoothbore gun, 7.62 mm machine guns, smoke launchers, reinforced protection, and a digital command-support system. Sweden donated about ten tanks to Ukraine in 2023, trained Ukrainian crews in Sweden, and later contracted to modernize its remaining Strv 122 fleet into the Strv 123A standard while buying new Leopard 2A8-based Strv 123B tanks.