Representatives of the European defense giants Patria and KNDS Deutschland Maintenance have met to discuss industrial cooperation, including the Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) program.
KNDS’ press release:
High-level management representatives from KNDS Deutschland and the Finnish defense company Patria have reaffirmed their industrial cooperation and discussed potential opportunities for the Saarland with Minister-President Anke Rehlinger.
On August 11, 2026, KNDS Deutschland Maintenance and Patria signed a framework agreement for the manufacture of the PATRIA 6×6 armored personnel carrier (APC) within the multinational CAVS program. From the end of the year, the first series vehicles, which also originate from Finnish production, will be equipped with their specific kits and undergo final assembly in Freisen.
During a working visit by Jiri Häkämies, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Patria, and Florian Hohenwater, CEO of KNDS Deutschland and KNDS Deutschland Maintenance, the cooperation between both companies was reaffirmed for one of Europe’s successful flagship defense projects.
Given the significant importance of this order for KNDS Deutschland Maintenance and the entire region surrounding the Freisen site, Minister-President of Saarland, Anke Rehlinger, used the opportunity to engage in an exchange with the company executives.
“The Patria order is of great importance for Freisen – and for the entire Saarland. It creates industrial value, qualified jobs, and long-term perspectives for the site. The cooperation between KNDS and Patria also demonstrates what Europe can achieve together: pooling industrial expertise, strengthening own capacities, and taking more responsibility for our security. The project is a prime example of what succeeds when business and state politics pull together. We support the expansion of the Freisen site, the placement of skilled workers, and the development of a network of Saarland suppliers – particularly from our automotive industry. In this way, a European defense project becomes a concrete economic perspective for the Saarland,” said Minister-President Anke Rehlinger.
During the visit, Christoph Cords, CEO of KNDS Deutschland Maintenance, presented the KNDS work packages of the CAVS program and provided information on the status of the series production setup in Freisen. Scaling potential was also a topic of discussion.
“Even during contract negotiations, it became clear how strong a cooperation partner Patria is. The collaboration with all parties involved in the CAVS program – Patria, Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, BAAINBw – but also at the political level is exemplary, excellent, on equal footing, and highly constructive. We see the long-term CAVS program as a great opportunity for the Saarland. The CAVS program offers the opportunity to bring value creation to Germany and especially to the Saarland, and we are happy to take on this task,” said Christoph Cords, CEO of KNDS Deutschland Maintenance.
Florian Hohenwater, CEO of KNDS Deutschland, emphasized the uniqueness of the cooperation between KNDS and Patria: “In the interest of strengthening European production capacities for defense goods, we are taking new paths as a system integrator and are contributing our know-how and experience to the CAVS program via our subsidiary KNDS Deutschland Maintenance as a subcontractor for Patria. We are convinced: through this cooperation, we will sustainably strengthen the European CAVS program, which is also of great importance to the Bundeswehr.”
Jussi Järvinen, Executive Vice President Protected Mobility at Patria, also expressed great satisfaction with the program’s progress: “Our cooperation with KNDS is progressing as planned and is an important building block in establishing reliable industrial capacities for the German CAVS program. The combination of Patria’s 6×6 expertise and technology transfer for the local capacity building of KNDS strengthens delivery reliability, creates value creation in Germany, and supports European production capacities in the defense sector.”