Rheinmetall acquires majority stake in DOK-ING, expands unmanned vehicle portfolio

German defence technology group Rheinmetall has completed the acquisition of a 51% majority stake in Croatian company DOK-ING, which specialises in unmanned systems for hazardous and high-risk environments. Following the transaction, the company will operate under the name Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles d.o.o., with DOK-ING founder Vjekoslav Majetić retaining a 49% stake.

The deal aims to establish a centre of competence in Croatia for heavy, unmanned, and autonomous military vehicles within Rheinmetall's defence business. The acquisition supports the group's strategy to develop new capabilities for combat and combat support operations, with the goal of accelerating the series production and operational deployment of unmanned ground systems.

The collaboration will merge Rheinmetall's expertise in tactical vehicle systems with DOK-ING's experience in developing remote-controlled and increasingly autonomous platforms for high-risk scenarios. DOK-ING's Komodo platform, a modular heavy-duty hybrid vehicle with a payload capacity exceeding 8.5 tonnes, will serve as a core development base for various missions, including mine clearance, reconnaissance, and logistics.

Rheinmetall plans to integrate its own functional modules and mission kits, supporting systems for combat tanks and engineer vehicles, as well as applications in hazardous materials response and critical infrastructure protection. DOK-ING has previously delivered approximately 500 platforms to customers in over 40 countries, with its mine-clearance systems currently in use in Ukraine.