Rheinmetall Completes DOK-ING Acquisition, Launches Unmanned Vehicles Arm in Croatia

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Image: DOK-ING

Rheinmetall has completed its acquisition of a 51 per cent majority stake in Croatian unmanned vehicle specialist DOK-ING, as per a recent press statement. The new entity will operate under the name Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles Ltd.

The Düsseldorf-based defence group signed the initial agreement in Zagreb in March. DOK-ING’s founder and previous sole owner, Vjekoslav Majetić, retains a 49 per cent stake. The parties have not disclosed the purchase price.

The deal pairs Rheinmetall’s tactical vehicle expertise with DOK-ING’s established unmanned ground systems capabilities. Its centrepiece is DOK-ING’s Komodo, a modular heavy-duty hybrid platform with a payload capacity exceeding 8.5 tonnes. Rheinmetall will contribute functional modules covering direct and indirect fire, mine clearing and laying, reconnaissance sensors, and logistics support.

DOK-ING has delivered around 500 platforms to customers in over 40 countries since its foundation in 1991. The company’s mine-clearance systems are currently in active use in Ukraine.

Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Europe division, Dr Björn Bernhard, commented: “We can now establish our competence centre in Croatia in the field of unmanned and autonomous vehicles for military purposes. We see growth potential in this future market, and we are establishing a foothold in Croatia, an EU and NATO partner country.”

Vjekoslav Majetić added: “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.”

Together, the companies plan to develop an unmanned armed support system known as a “Wingman.” This platform will operate alongside battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for reconnaissance and fire support. The systems will integrate with existing Rheinmetall platforms, including the Panther KF51 Main Battle Tank and the Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle.

Read more on DOK-ING’s website

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