Ground Drones for Ukraine: ARX Robotics Deepens Alliance With Roboneers
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Robots are taking over more and more tasks from soldiers in Ukraine, and not just in the air: The Munich-based defense tech company ARX Robotics has formed a strategic partnership for unmanned land warfare with the Ukrainian manufacturer Roboneers. The agreement was signed in Kyiv in the presence of Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Two Manufacturers, One Fleet
Under the partnership, the two companies will technically integrate their systems. ARX Robotics and Roboneers already jointly supply the Ukrainian armed forces with ground drones. In June, they founded the production joint venture ARX Industries to mass-produce Roboneers’ Rys Pro ground drone in Ukraine and Germany. The goal is several thousand vehicles in the first year and tens of thousands a year later on. The vehicles are used to evacuate the wounded, carry supplies to the front and clear mines, among other tasks.
“Software-defined unmanned defense solutions are crucial for land forces on a modern battlefield where every action can be observed by the enemy,” said Marc Wietfeld, chief executive of ARX Robotics. Together with Roboneers, he said, the company wants to supply Ukraine’s armed forces with a large-scale fleet of unmanned ground vehicles and feed lessons from the front into the land systems of other Western armies.
The demand is enormous. The Ukrainian government estimates it needs about 50,000 unmanned ground systems this year. With its own Gereon ground drone, ARX says it already operates the largest fleet of any Western manufacturer in Ukraine. The company says it recently demonstrated, together with industrial partners such as the engine maker Deutz, that it can ramp up production quickly.
Rapid Growth Since 2022
Founded only in 2022, ARX Robotics builds the Gereon RCS series of ground vehicles as well as Mithra OS, an A.I.-powered operating system that can also digitize existing military vehicles. The company employs about 300 people in Munich, Berlin, London and Kyiv and recently expanded into Poland and Austria. Its backers include HV Capital, the NATO Innovation Fund and Speedinvest, which led an 11 million euro extension of its Series A round last year.
Competition From Close to Home
The chancellor’s visit was a key moment for Germany’s defense tech scene. On the same day, Mr. Merz announced that Germany would fund tens of thousands of interceptor drones from Quantum Systems for Ukraine. Quantum Systems has also become a new rival to ARX on the ground: After Quantum founder Florian Seibel sold his stake in ARX, the company unveiled its first ground vehicle, MANDRILL, earlier this year. Other established players in unmanned land systems in Europe include the Estonian manufacturer Milrem Robotics with its THeMIS and Rheinmetall with its Mission Master.
