BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Monday that it intends to take a 40% stake in defense contractor KNDS, whose products include Leopard and Leclerc tanks, as it tries to strengthen European production along with NATO ally France. The French state already has a 50% stake in KNDS, which was formed in 2015 with the merger of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and France’s Nexter. The other half is held by the German family behind Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Headquartered in Amsterdam, KNDS had 4.4