- Title: French PM visits Franco-German KNDS arms factory
- Date: 21st March 2025
- Summary: BOURGES, FRANCE (MARCH 21, 2025) (AGENCY POOL) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, FRANCOIS BAYROU, LOOKING AT WEAPON AT THE FRANCO-GERMAN KNDS ARMS FACTORY VARIOUS OF BAYROU VISITING FACTORY BAYROU WALKING TOWARDS JOURNALIST FOR PRESS CONFERENCE CANNON (SOUNDBITE) ( French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, FRANCOIS BAYROU, SAYING: "We had a research work here with cutting-edge production, and n
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: EU Defence KNDS Russia Ukraine crisis
- Location: BOURGES, FRANCE
- City: BOURGES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Defence,Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001071221032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou visited a Franco-German defence firm KNDS factory in Bourges on Friday (March 21).
War in Ukraine is forcing Europe to reinvent its defence industry, with Moscow viewed as a threat and the United States under President Donald Trump a more unpredictable ally.
Bayrou told reporters he believed Europe was capable of increasing production and finding the necessary funding for it.
For weapons firms, the likelihood is that orders will not abate for many years to come, giving them an opportunity to invest and develop for the long term while offering job opportunities in areas previously abandoned.
KNDS was formed in 2015 during the military land systems merger of German family-owned Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) - famous for making Leopard tanks - and French state-owned weapons provider Nexter.
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