The Belgian Minister of Defence, Mr. Théo Francken, inaugurated a new Large-Calibre Machining and Banding Unit (UCGC) at the defence company KNDS Belgium.
The facility includes an automated production line for 155 mm artillery shells, intended to strengthen the group’s industrial capacity - which already included two production lines - amid strong demand for munitions.
“One production line, two benefits: autonomy and jobs. By manufacturing our ammunition ourselves we keep the economic value added here and gain strategic strength. In 2026, with our CAESAR howitzers ready for use, we will be firing Belgian munitions,” Minister Francken said during the ceremony.
Alongside the Minister of Defence, the Walloon Minister for Economy, Industry and Employment, Mr. Pierre-Yves Jeholet, praised “this new production tool, a genuine demonstration of KNDS Belgium’s teams technological expertise, within a rapidly growing company.”
Mr. Jean-Michel Girard, Director of KNDS Belgium, stressed: “In 2026, nearly six months of production will be dedicated to shells for the Belgian Defence. This is a great source of pride for our company, which has been serving the Land Force for almost 90 years. We maintain a constructive and ongoing dialogue with Defence on technical, conceptual and operational levels. This investment generates workload while supporting our innovation dynamic and skills development. Many projects are still to come.”
He also recalled “the importance for Belgium of having a major national player in the field of medium and large-caliber munitions. With 350 employees, KNDS Belgium is a key player in Belgium’s defence industrial and technological base, and a globally recognised partner.”
Finally, Major-General Filip Borremans, National Director of Armaments, confirmed: “The start-up of this automated 155 mm shell production line in Belgium marks a crucial step in strengthening our strategic autonomy, both nationally and at the European level. This robust and scalable production capability contributes not only to our operational readiness and our interoperability within NATO, but also to the resilience of the European defence industry.”
KNDS is a European land defense systems leader with more than 10,000 employees, 2024turnover of 3.8 billion euro, order backlog of around 23.5 billion euro and order intake of 11.2 billion euro in 2024. As prime contractor and lead system integrator KNDS develop, deliver and sustain state of the art manned and unmanned ‘system-of-systems’, complete mission solutions and its main systems and sub-platforms, including the related ammunitions and services.
KNDS product portfolio encompasses main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, robotics, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a wide range of equipment.
The alliance between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (now KNDS Deutschland) and Nexter (now KNDS France) has been a step forward in the consolidation of the land defense systems industry in Europe. It positions KNDS as a key contributor to European sovereignty by meeting the needs of the respective national armies and offering European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization and interoperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable and resilient European industrial base. KNDS, as a major international leader, is the trusted partner of dozens of armed forces worldwide.
KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.
