Rheinmetall acquires majority stake in DOK-ING for unmanned and autonomous systems

Rheinmetall has successfully completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Croatia-based DOK-ING and is expanding its portfolio as planned through an acquisition in the field of unmanned vehicles. The company will operate under the name “Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles d.o.o.”. In March this year, Rheinmetall signed an agreement in Zagreb to acquire a majority stake in Croatian innovation hub specialised in the field of unmanned vehicles DOK-ING. Rheinmetall is acquiring 51 per cent of the company, while the company’s founder and previous sole owner, Vjekoslav Majetić, will retain the 49 per cent. The strategic partners agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Combining Rheinmetall’s expertise in tactical vehicles with DOK-ING’s capabilities in unmanned vehicles creates a strong base of competence with considerable future potential. These joint activities are based on DOK-ING’s newly developed Komodo, a modular heavy-duty hybrid platform with a payload capacity of more than 8.5 tonnes. Rheinmetall is contributing various functional modules and equipment kits, including systems for direct and indirect fire, mine clearing and laying operations, reconnaissance sensors and logistics. By joining forces, the two leading European suppliers aim to realise ambitious projects, set new standards and pave the way for unmanned ground systems to be ready for series production and deployment. “We can now establish our competence centre in Croatia in the field of unmanned and autonomous vehicles for military purposes. With this new setup, we aim to achieve a strong market position in the segment of unmanned combat and armoured support vehicles. We see growth potential in this future market, and, at the same time, we are establishing a foothold in Croatia, an EU and NATO partner country and a highly attractive customer market”, Dr Björn Bernhard, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Europe division, reiterated upon receiving regulatory approval. DOK-ING holds a strong market position in the field of land based unmanned mine clearance and operations in high-risk environments. Since its foundation, the company has delivered around 500 platforms to customers in over 40 countries. At present, DOK-ING’s mine-clearance solutions are proving to be highly effective in operation, particularly in the Ukraine. Vjekoslav Majetić, who founded DOK-ING in 1991, referred to his words when the agreement was signed in March: “This step ensures that DOK-ING’s development, engineering excellence and core competencies will remain in Croatia. By joining forces with Rheinmetall, we can expand our production capacities, accelerate the development of next-generation unmanned specialised systems and strengthen our long-term competitiveness. This will reinforce Croatia’s role within the European defence and technology landscape.” DOK-ING and Rheinmetall plan to develop a variety of solutions for combat and combat support operations. This includes a project for an unmanned armed support system (known as ‘Wingman’) to be used with battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for reconnaissance and fire support purposes. These systems will also be used alongside existing Rheinmetall products, such as the Panther KF51 Main Battle Tank, the Büffel/Buffalo recovery tank, and the Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]