Manufacturer catalog

Nexter

Nexter is the historic French land-systems builder now legally renamed KNDS France, linking this catalog to artillery, armored vehicles, guns, turrets, and ammunition production.

6 weapons

Nexter is the legacy French brand behind the land-systems business now publicly identified as KNDS France. KNDS says the legal renaming of Nexter Systems S.A. to KNDS France S.A. took effect in April 2024 after the earlier 2015 merger that formed KNDS.

This catalog page keeps Nexter as the catalog manufacturer facet so the site's weapon records stay grouped under one French industrial lineage. It also provides the current Versailles-based company context for systems spanning armored vehicles, artillery, guns and turrets, ammunition, and robotics.

Armored vehiclesArtillery systemsGuns and turretsAmmunitionRobotics and autonomous systemsDefense equipment

Notable Systems

CAESAR 6x6

155 mm towed howitzer

KNDS France's artillery portfolio includes the CAESAR family, one of the builder's best-known wheeled howitzers.

Sources: CAESAR 6x6, KNDS France

Leclerc XLR

Third-generation main battle tank

KNDS France lists Leclerc modernization as a core armored-vehicle program in its current portfolio.

Sources: Leclerc XLR, KNDS France

GRIFFON

KNDS France says the GRIFFON 6x6 armored vehicle is developed with Arquus and Thales for the SCORPION program.

Sources: GRIFFON, KNDS France

JAGUAR

KNDS France presents JAGUAR as a SCORPION program armoured fighting vehicle for reconnaissance and combat.

Sources: JAGUAR, KNDS France

Manufacturer History

2006-12-18
Nexter Systems appears in French restructuring records
A French government order records GIAT Industries' participation in Nexter Systems, anchoring the Nexter identity in 2006 state paperwork.
Sources: Legifrance GIAT Industries order
2015-12-15
KNDS is founded
KNDS says KMW and Nexter completed their association on 15 December 2015 and began operating under the KNDS holding company in Amsterdam.
Sources: KNDS history
2024-04-08
Nexter Systems is legally renamed KNDS France
KNDS announced that Nexter Systems S.A. was formally renamed KNDS France S.A., completing the company's legal name change.
Sources: Legal renaming

Predecessors

GIAT Industries

Successors

KNDS France

Website links

KNDS France KNDS history Legal renaming CAESAR 6x6 Leclerc XLR

Public corporate sources now use KNDS France as the legal operating name after the April 2024 renaming. This profile keeps Nexter as the catalog facet and uses 2006 for the Nexter restructuring year rather than the older GIAT lineage.

Manufacturer Sources

KNDS FrancePublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports KNDS France as the current official operating company, its Versailles address, and its land-defense production focus covering armored vehicles, artillery systems, guns and turrets, ammunition, robotics, and defense equipment. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
KNDS historyPublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports the 2015 KNDS merger, the historical Nexter-KMW association, and the later brand harmonization that placed Nexter under the KNDS name. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Legal renamingPublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports the 8 April 2024 legal renaming of Nexter Systems S.A. to KNDS France S.A. and the broader group-company name changes. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Legifrance GIAT Industries orderPublisher: Republique francaise | Note: Supports the December 2006 French official record that names GIAT Industries and Nexter Systems in the restructuring sequence behind the Nexter identity. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
CAESAR 6x6Publisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports CAESAR as a KNDS artillery product and the builder's wheeled artillery portfolio. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Leclerc XLRPublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports Leclerc modernization as a core KNDS France armored-vehicle program in the current portfolio. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
GRIFFONPublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports GRIFFON as a KNDS France-developed armored vehicle for the SCORPION program. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
JAGUARPublisher: KNDS Group | Note: Supports JAGUAR as a KNDS France and partner-developed reconnaissance and combat vehicle in the SCORPION portfolio. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Commons Nexter logoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the reusable Nexter logo image; the Commons file page identifies the file as uploaded from Nexter and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, which makes it suitable for the builder catalog page. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

AMX-10P, Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles

1990 Gulf War, 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force +1 moreAMX-10PTracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicleBuilt in: FranceThe AMX-10P is a French tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle built by GIAT Industries for mechanized infantry transport and 20 mm autocannon fire support. Source-backed conflict entries document Saudi AMX-10Ps in the Gulf War theater, French KFOR AMX-10P patrol use in Kosovo, and a separate disputed Russia-Ukraine War identification.

AMX-10RC, Wheeled armored reconnaissance and fire-support vehicle, Armored Vehicles

1990 Gulf War, 2001 War in Afghanistan +2 moreAMX-10RCWheeled armored reconnaissance and fire-support vehicleBuilt in: FranceThe AMX-10RC is a French 6x6 armored reconnaissance and fire-support vehicle built around a 105 mm gun. French forces fielded the family from Operation Daguet through Afghanistan and the Sahel, and France transferred AMX-10RC/RCR vehicles to Ukraine in 2023 for mobile reconnaissance and direct fire rather than main battle tank assault roles.

1990 Gulf War, 2014 Russia-Ukraine WarTRF1155 mm towed howitzerBuilt in: FranceThe TRF1 is a French 155 mm towed howitzer built by GIAT Industries for NATO-standard indirect fire. It entered French service in 1989, uses an auxiliary power unit for short self-movement, and can fire NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition as well as extended-range and BONUS projectiles; French sources document the gun with Division Daguet in the Gulf War and in later deliveries to Ukraine.

CAESAR, 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer, Artillery

2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2012 Mali War +2 moreCAESAR155 mm truck-mounted howitzerBuilt in: FranceCAESAR is a French 155 mm/52-caliber truck-mounted howitzer family fielded in 6x6, protected Mk2, and 8x8 configurations. Its rapid displacement, NATO 155 mm ammunition compatibility, and guided-projectile options made it a widely exported mobile artillery system documented in Ukraine, Mali, Yemen, and coalition operations against the Islamic State.

20mm GIAT M693 autocannon, French 20 mm autocannon chambered for 20x139mm NATO rounds, Infantry Weapons

20mm GIAT M693 autocannonFrench 20 mm autocannon chambered for 20x139mm NATO roundsBuilt in: FranceThe GIAT M693 is a French 20 mm autocannon family developed for armored-vehicle, anti-aircraft, and naval mount applications. Specialist references trace the gun to the earlier M621 mechanism but a larger 20x139 mm NATO cartridge, dual-belt feed, and about 900 rounds per minute. The catalog keeps it as a relationship-only component page because public sources most clearly document the M693 through host platforms and derivatives: AMX-10P vehicles, naval 20F2 mounts, Narwhal 20B turrets, and the South African GI2 production variant.

Leclerc tank, Third-generation main battle tank, Tanks

2014 Yemen Civil WarLeclerc tankThird-generation main battle tankBuilt in: FranceThe Leclerc is a French third-generation main battle tank built around a 120 mm smoothbore gun, autoloader, three-person crew, and high power-to-weight mobility. In the 2014 Yemen Civil War, UAE-operated Leclercs gave coalition forces heavy protected direct fire during armored pushes around Aden, Al Anad, and later western-coast operations.