Home Europe Germany orders its first P20 cannons from Nexter

Germany orders its first P20 cannons from Nexter

P20 cannon
Illustration. Photo: Nexter

The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has ordered the country’s first P20 cannons from French defense contractor Nexter.

The contract will see Nexter deliver the initial seven pintle-mounted systems equipped with a 20mm cannon.

A second contract for the delivery of additional P20 guns for the German special forces is expected in 2021 or 2022.

P20 can be mounted on all types of light 4×4 vehicles and used for ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missions of close fire support, urban combat, protection, self-defense or intimidation.

This assembly uses the 20M621 gas-operated gun conceived by Nexter’s teams in Bourges, and fires 20×102, M50 or PGU ammunition at a rate of up to 700 rounds per minute.

The French company noted it secured the contract with the help of Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann (KMW), its partner in the KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) company which was created through a merger of the two companies in 2015.