ARX Robotics and Roboneers Deepen German-Ukrainian UGV Partnership

German defense technology company ARX Robotics and Ukraine’s Roboneers have expanded their cooperation on unmanned ground vehicles, moving beyond production into deeper technical integration and joint development of future systems.

The companies signed a strategic technology partnership in Kyiv during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Ukraine, in the presence of Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The agreement covers the integration of technologies developed by both companies and joint work on unmanned ground systems intended for Ukrainian and other European forces.

ARX Robotics and Roboneers are already supplying ground drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and agreed in June to establish ARX Industries, a German-Ukrainian joint venture focused on serial production of the Rys Pro unmanned ground vehicle.

The latest agreement expands that relationship from manufacturing toward joint technology development.

“Together with Roboneers we provide the Ukrainian forces with a robust but smart UGV fleet at scale and at the same time ensure that the lessons learnt from the battlefield are incorporated into the land systems development of other Western armies,” ARX Robotics CEO Marc Wietfeld said.

Rys Pro production in Germany and Ukraine

ARX Industries is being established to manufacture the Rys Pro across facilities in Germany and Ukraine.

When the venture was announced in June, the companies said they planned to produce several thousand Rys Pro systems during the first year of operation, with capacity expected to eventually reach tens of thousands of units annually.

The Rys Pro can be configured for battlefield logistics, casualty evacuation, reconnaissance and combat-support missions, reducing the need to expose personnel in high-risk areas.

Roboneers also develops the Saber remotely operated weapon station. According to ARX Robotics, Roboneers systems have accumulated more than 15,000 frontline missions since 2014.

The companies see continuous feedback from Ukrainian units as a central part of the development process, allowing modifications to be incorporated faster than under conventional military procurement cycles.

European UGV production accelerates

Demand for unmanned ground systems has risen rapidly in Ukraine as military units increasingly use robotic platforms for logistics, evacuation, reconnaissance and other missions close to the front line.

ARX Robotics says the Ukrainian government has estimated demand for UGVs at around 50,000 systems in 2026.

The Munich-based company is also scaling production of its own Gereon family of unmanned ground vehicles. ARX says its Gereon systems represent the largest fleet of Western-built ground drones currently operating in Ukraine.

The company has partnered with German engine manufacturer DEUTZ to expand production and recently delivered the first Gereon systems from that industrial cooperation just 12 weeks after production began.

The expanded partnership with Roboneers reflects a broader trend in European defense manufacturing: Ukrainian battlefield-developed systems are increasingly being combined with European industrial capacity rather than simply being purchased as finished products.

For ARX and Roboneers, the next step is no longer only producing more UGVs. The companies are now working to jointly develop the technologies that will shape future unmanned land systems for Ukraine and other European armed forces.