French defence giant enters Poland. Krab and K9 in the background

Under the agreement, the target production capacity is to reach 180,000 rounds of ammunition and propelling charges per year. The core area of cooperation is the production of 155 mm LU211P projectiles, modular powder charges, and other components of the system, including CCC combustible charge cases. The agreement also provides for the possibility of expanding cooperation to include long-range 105 mm ammunition for howitzers, as well as modern 120 mm tank ammunition.  

„During the development of the Ammunition Ring, we signed an initial agreement with KNDS already in March, in which the intent to develop 155 mm ammunition production in Poland was declared. Over recent months, the French partner has been verifying our production and organizational capabilities, while we negotiated the details of future cooperation. It was not an easy process, given the conditions we set regarding the scope of technology transfer, access to third markets, and exclusivity. The result is today’s strategic agreement, which expands the production of advanced 155 mm ammunition in Poland to include MCS modular propelling charges,” emphasized Przemysław Kowalczuk, President of the Management Board of Grupa Niewiadów.  

As the President of Grupa Niewiadów stressed, the first agreement between KNDS and Niewiadów was signed back in March. Przemysław Kowalczuk also announced that tests on Polish Krab and K9 howitzers would be conducted later this year. He added that the agreement provides opportunities for expansion, including into 120 mm tank ammunition. „Our intention is for tests on the AHS Krab and K9 Thunder systems to begin within the next few months,” he emphasized.  

Under the concluded agreement, Grupa Niewiadów will provide the necessary infrastructure and resources to launch the production lines, and will also make test ranges available for the qualification processes of polonized KNDS solutions intended for use in the Krab and K9 systems. KNDS France, in turn, will provide licenses and technologies, including in the field of projectile production and MCS modular charge production at the LAP — Load, Assembly and Pack — level. The French partner will also provide technical and personnel support.  

The LU 211 ammunition, one of KNDS’s key products in the 155 mm segment, is widely produced and used in various artillery systems. In the base bleed variant, the polonized LU211 projectile will be capable of achieving ranges of up to approximately 45 kilometers when fired from 52-caliber-barrel guns such as the Krab, K9, or Caesar.

The recipients of the production being established are to include the Polish Ministry of National Defense, as well as other KNDS customers. The agreement is long-term in nature and forms part of activities related to the construction of the „Niewiadów Ammunition Ring,” understood as an integrated industrial ecosystem ensuring the practical implementation of local content.

As President Kowalczuk said in an interview with Defence24.pl back in March, „The Niewiadów Ammunition Ring is a project to build integrated production capabilities in the field of ammunition and combat materiel based on Polish industry. At the same time, we are not limiting ourselves solely to Grupa Niewiadów companies — from the outset, we assumed a broader, systemic scale of action, also in the European dimension.”