Rheinmetall finalizes DOK-ING acquisition to strengthen autonomous systems

Introduction: a deal that closes a strategic chapter

A closing announced on July 1 in Düsseldorf

On July 1, 2026, German defense giant Rheinmetall announced the official closing of its acquisition of a majority stake in the Croatian company DOK-ING, which specializes in heavy autonomous vehicles for military and civilian applications (Rheinmetall, Joint Forces News).

The deal, presented by the group as a "strategic acquisition in the field of unmanned and autonomous systems," marks the culmination of a process launched several months earlier and confirms the growing appetite of Europe's defense industry for unmanned technologies (Rheinmetall).

From the March agreement to the July closing

The initial agreement had been signed in March 2026 in Zagreb, in the presence of Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić, before obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals to allow the deal to close four months later (Joint Forces News, Defence Leaders).

This gap between signing and closing illustrates the rigor of the regulatory review process now governing major cross-border transactions in Europe's strategic defense sector, even between longstanding partners within the European Union.

Watching a German defense giant close a strategic acquisition in Croatia, without major hiccups and on the announced timeline, is exactly the kind of quiet news that should delight anyone who wants a Europe capable of defending itself.

The precise terms of the transaction

A 51% stake, with 49% kept by the founder

Rheinmetall is acquiring a 51% stake in DOK-ING, while the founder and previous sole owner, Vjekoslav Majetić, retains the remaining 49%, an ownership structure that guarantees shared governance continuity between the two partners (Joint Forces News, MarketScreener).

Both parties agreed not to disclose the exact amount of the financial transaction, a common practice in this type of strategic deal involving sensitive military technologies (Joint Forces News).

The birth of Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles

The new entity resulting from this operational merger will be called Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles d.o.o., while keeping its headquarters and existing management team in Zagreb, thereby ensuring strategic and operational continuity for all Croatian staff (Rheinmetall, DOK-ING).

This decision to preserve the company's Croatian roots directly addresses concerns raised by local authorities about protecting jobs and national technological know-how within this new shared structure.

Preserving the headquarters, the management team, and the local roots of an acquired company is not a mere symbolic gesture: it is a strong signal sent to the entire Croatian defense industry that European integration can happen without erasing national expertise.

Who is DOK-ING, Croatia's robotic demining flagship

Thirty-five years of expertise in high-risk environments

Founded in 1991, DOK-ING has established itself as a world leader in robotic demining, with systems that today account for nearly 80% of all robotic demining machines used worldwide, according to Croatian public broadcaster (HRT).

The company has delivered approximately 500 platforms to clients in more than 40 countries, a track record that reflects the industrial solidity and international reputation patiently built by this Croatian family business over the decades (Joint Forces News, Defence Leaders).

Systems already proving decisive on Ukrainian soil

DOK-ING's demining solutions have proven "particularly effective" in their current use in Ukraine, where the need for robotic demining remains immense given the scale of contamination from Russian land mines (Joint Forces News).

This operational validation on the Ukrainian battlefield is a powerful commercial and strategic argument for Rheinmetall, which can now present already proven technologies in the most intense conflict Europe has seen in decades.

The fact that Croatian demining machines are saving lives on Ukrainian soil right now makes this acquisition far more than a mere financial maneuver: it is a direct investment in Ukraine's ability to rebuild land it can actually walk on.

The Komodo, central platform of the technology partnership

A modular, high-tonnage hybrid platform

At the heart of the industrial partnership sits the Komodo, a heavy, modular hybrid platform developed by DOK-ING, capable of carrying a payload greater than 8.5 tonnes, a considerable tonnage for an unmanned vehicle (Joint Forces News, Defence Leaders).

This exceptional load capacity opens the door to a wide range of military applications, from logistics transport to demining to direct fire support, making the Komodo a truly versatile platform for modern theaters of operation.

The modules contributed by Rheinmetall

Rheinmetall will contribute to the joint development with various functional modules, including direct and indirect fire systems, mine-laying and demining equipment, reconnaissance sensors, and complete logistics solutions (Joint Forces News).

This technological complementarity between DOK-ING's expertise in unmanned vehicles and Rheinmetall's know-how in traditional tactical vehicles creates, according to both partners, a solid skills base with considerable growth potential for the future (Joint Forces News).

Merging German expertise in classic armored vehicles with Croatian know-how in field robotics is exactly the kind of European industrial cooperation the continent desperately needs to catch up with the major military-technology powers.

What the executives said about the scope of the deal

Bernhard: filling a gap in the portfolio

Dr. Björn Bernhard, CEO of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Europe division, summed up the industrial logic behind the deal: "We can now establish our center of competence in Croatia in the field of autonomous and unmanned military vehicles" (Joint Forces News).

Bernhard also noted, in an earlier statement, that Rheinmetall "had until now built tracked vehicles starting at thirty tonnes" and that it no longer wanted "to do so with manned vehicles" for that lower segment, hence the strategic interest in partnering with an unmanned-systems specialist (HRT).

Majetić: preserving Croatian roots while accelerating

For his part, founder Vjekoslav Majetić emphasized industrial continuity: "This step ensures that DOK-ING's development, engineering excellence, and core competencies will remain in Croatia," adding that the alliance with Rheinmetall would "accelerate the development of next-generation specialized unmanned systems" (Joint Forces News).

Majetić also expressed pride that his company remains attractive enough to draw in a partner of Rheinmetall's stature, a partnership he describes as recognition of DOK-ING's status among the most significant robotics companies in the world (HRT).

Hearing a Croatian entrepreneur insist on preserving his company's national roots, while celebrating the arrival of a German giant in his capital, captures well the productive tension between local sovereignty and industrial integration that defines the new European defense landscape.

The Wingman project, the next stage of the collaboration

An armed support system designed to accompany tanks

The two companies plan to jointly develop an unmanned armed support system called "Wingman," designed to operate alongside battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles during reconnaissance and fire-support missions (Joint Forces News, DOK-ING).

This concept of robotic support for traditional armored units fits into a growing global trend aimed at reducing direct human exposure to combat while multiplying the firepower available on the ground.

Integration with Rheinmetall's existing platforms

The Wingman system will be designed to operate in tandem with already well-established platforms from Rheinmetall's catalog, notably the Panther KF51 main battle tank, the Büffel armored recovery vehicle, and the Kodiak armored engineering vehicle (Joint Forces News, Defence Leaders).

This integration with systems already in service or in advanced development will allow faster adoption by client armed forces, which will not need to entirely rethink their doctrine of employment to incorporate these new robotic capabilities.

The name "Wingman" reflects a precise military philosophy: the machine does not replace the soldier, it walks beside him to absorb part of the risk. This is a vision of robotic warfare that deserves to be welcomed rather than feared.

Croatia, a new center of competence for European defense

An EU and NATO partner deemed "highly attractive"

Bernhard explained that Rheinmetall was deliberately establishing a "foothold in Croatia," calling the country a "European Union and NATO partner" and a "highly attractive customer market" for future sales of unmanned systems (Joint Forces News).

This strategic choice confirms Rheinmetall's intention to geographically diversify its centers of competence across several NATO member states, thereby strengthening the industrial resilience of the entire European defense supply chain.

Strengthening Croatia's industrial role in Europe

According to Majetić, this deal will "strengthen Croatia's role within the European defense and technology landscape," a statement that finds a favorable echo among Croatian authorities eager to advance their national defense industrial base (Joint Forces News).

This kind of international industrial recognition represents a considerable asset for a mid-sized country seeking to consolidate its place in the strategic value chains of the continental defense sector.

Watching a country the size of Croatia become a recognized center of competence for European military autonomous systems shows exactly how the continent's rearmament can create added value well beyond the traditional major industrial powers.

The broader context of European rearmament

Rheinmetall, a central player in the acquisition wave

This transaction is part of a broader wave of consolidation in Europe's defense sector, with Rheinmetall multiplying strategic acquisitions in recent years, including the acquisition of Loc Performance Products for nearly $950 million (Datasite).

The German group has also formed a partnership with American drone company Anduril to jointly develop attack drones and rocket motors for missiles, confirming its all-out expansion strategy into next-generation defense technologies (Datasite).

A sector driven by tense geopolitics

According to CNBC, European defense stocks are currently going through a period of confidence testing for the vast continental rearmament movement, even as underlying demand fundamentals remain structurally solid over the medium term (CNBC).

This underlying dynamic, fueled by the war in Ukraine and by European countries' growing determination to strengthen their strategic autonomy against Russia, continues to support massive investment in niche segments such as military autonomous vehicles.

European rearmament is not a budgetary abstraction: every deal like this one, between a German company and a Croatian company, is concretely building the collective deterrence capacity the continent so sorely lacked during decades of strategic complacency.

The concrete implications for European armed forces

An expected reduction in human exposure to danger

One of the most direct benefits of this technology partnership lies in the reduction of human exposure to battlefield dangers, particularly during demining operations, which rank among the most perilous tasks for military personnel (Joint Forces News).

The robotic systems jointly developed by Rheinmetall and DOK-ING will allow client armed forces to progressively withdraw their soldiers from the most exposed zones, while maintaining or even increasing the operational effectiveness of demining and reconnaissance missions.

Toward mass production of unmanned systems

The stated goal of both partners is to "pave the way for series production and effective deployment" of unmanned ground systems, an ambition that goes well beyond the current stage of technology demonstrators (Joint Forces News).

This industrial ramp-up, if it materializes on the announced timeline, could position the Rheinmetall-DOK-ING alliance as a global reference player in a segment expected to see sustained growth over the next decade.

Moving from prototype to series production remains the real test of credibility for any defense industrial alliance: the history of European armaments is littered with promising projects that never got past the demonstration stage.

The precedents in the Rheinmetall-DOK-ING cooperation

A partnership begun as early as October 2024

The two companies had already launched a strategic partnership in October 2024, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Berlin aimed at jointly developing remote-controlled unmanned ground systems (Rheinmetall).

This first agreement had notably set as an initial goal the joint development of an unmanned system for mine-scattering and counter-mobility operations, with a demonstrator planned as early as 2025, a deadline largely met given the Komodo's public unveiling at the Eurosatory 2026 trade show (Rheinmetall).

A notable public demonstration at Eurosatory 2026

The MV-8 Komodo Unmanned Breaching System was unveiled publicly at the Eurosatory 2026 trade show, combining Rheinmetall's combat engineering expertise, DOK-ING's proven unmanned technologies, and breaching payloads developed by Pearson Engineering (Defence Industry, LinkedIn Rheinmetall).

This public demonstration, just weeks before the official closing of the acquisition, confirms that the technological collaboration between the two companies had already gone well beyond the theoretical stage long before the capital transaction was finalized.

Seeing that the technology already worked, publicly, before the acquisition was even legally closed is reassuring about the industrial seriousness of this alliance: this is not a speculative financial bet, it is the consolidation of a technological cooperation already proven in the field.

The challenges that remain despite the closing of the deal

The ability to industrialize at scale

Despite the enthusiasm displayed by both executives, the true test of this alliance will be its ability to turn promising technology demonstrators into industrial production lines capable of meeting fast-growing European military demand.

Several defense sector analysts regularly point out that the main bottleneck in European industry lies not in technological innovation itself, but in the ability to ramp up production quickly enough to meet the urgent needs of armed forces.

International competition in the autonomous vehicle segment

The unmanned ground vehicle segment is also attracting the attention of American players, such as the partnership between American Rheinmetall and the company Harbinger to develop a family of robotic vehicles serving the modernization priorities of the U.S. Department of Defense (Military Embedded).

This transatlantic competition, far from being purely negative, could instead spur innovation and accelerate the pace of unmanned technology deployment on both sides of the Atlantic, ultimately benefiting all Western allied forces.

Competition among Western allies on military technology is not a problem, it is a strength: it pushes every player to innovate faster, a strategic luxury that neither Russia nor China can afford to ignore in the face of this collective dynamic.

What this acquisition reveals about Rheinmetall's industrial strategy

Spectacular stock market growth over three years

Rheinmetall's stock has surged nearly 400% over the past three years, including a 150% rise in 2025 alone, a stock performance that shows just how much investors anticipate lasting demand for European defense technologies (CNBC).

This exceptional financial performance gives Rheinmetall the concrete means to continue its strategy of targeted acquisitions, such as DOK-ING, without having to sacrifice its own internal research and development investments.

A calculated diversification beyond traditional armor

This acquisition confirms Rheinmetall's determination to no longer confine itself to its historical core business of heavy tracked armored vehicles, but to now cover the full spectrum of ground military needs, from munitions to autonomous vehicles to aerial drones (Datasite, Morningstar).

This strategic diversification positions the German group as one of the few European players capable of offering a truly integrated portfolio to its military clients, a considerable competitive advantage against rivals more narrowly focused on a single segment.

A defense company that intelligently diversifies its portfolio, rather than resting on its historical laurels, is exactly the kind of industrial player the West needs to stay the course against adversaries who have never stopped investing massively in their own military capabilities.

The human dimension behind the transaction figures

Croatian jobs preserved in the new structure

The decision to keep the existing management team and headquarters in Zagreb directly reassures DOK-ING employees, whose expertise accumulated since 1991 remains at the heart of the added value Rheinmetall is specifically seeking to preserve and grow (DOK-ING).

This operational continuity contrasts with certain industrial acquisitions where a takeover comes with painful restructuring and job losses, a scenario both parties appear to have deliberately sought to avoid in this case.

A model for balanced cross-border transactions

This deal illustrates a model of European industrial cooperation in which the acquiring country, in this case Germany, deliberately chooses to preserve the target country's local roots rather than repatriating all activities to its own national territory.

This kind of balanced approach could serve as a reference for future cross-border transactions within Europe's defense industry, at a time when the European Commission is actively encouraging sector consolidation while striving to preserve the geographic diversity of the continent's industrial capabilities.

Preserving local jobs and know-how during a cross-border acquisition is not just a matter of image: it is the very condition for lasting European industrial integration, one that must convince every member state it has a place in this defense Europe under construction.

The expected economic benefits for the Zagreb region

Announced growth in local production capacity

The agreement explicitly calls for expanding DOK-ING's production capacity at its historic Zagreb site, which should generate new local hiring in the coming years as demand for unmanned systems grows across Europe (DOK-ING).

This industrial expansion will also benefit local subcontractors, such as the company Tema, based in Pula, which already supplies a significant share of the electric motors used in DOK-ING vehicles, creating a ripple effect across the entire Croatian supply chain (HRT).

A model for other mid-sized European economies

This dynamic of local value creation, combined with direct access to international markets through Rheinmetall's commercial network, offers a potentially replicable model for other mid-sized European countries seeking to grow their own defense industrial base.

Croatian authorities, through the Ministry of Defense, have already praised this transaction as an international validation of the national strategy to position Croatia as a credible player in the continental defense industry.

A small Croatian company becoming the strategic partner of a German giant, while generating local jobs and energizing its own subcontractors, is exactly the kind of industrial success story Europe should be multiplying if it truly wants to hold its own against the world's great military powers.

Conclusion: one more brick in the edifice of European defense

A signal of confidence sent to the whole sector

The successful closing of this acquisition, on the announced timeline and without major regulatory complications, sends a reassuring signal of confidence to the entire European defense industry, at a time when some observers worry about a possible slowdown in the great continental rearmament movement.

This transaction concretely demonstrates that companies of very different sizes, one a publicly traded German multinational and the other a Croatian family business, can build lasting and mutually beneficial industrial partnerships in service of collective European security.

One step among others in a global technology race

As the war in Ukraine continues to demonstrate, week after week, the growing importance of robotic and autonomous systems on the modern battlefield, this alliance between Rheinmetall and DOK-ING represents another piece in the West's broader effort to maintain its military technological superiority against increasingly determined adversaries.

The real test of this acquisition will play out in the coming years, when the jointly developed systems will need to prove their effectiveness at scale on real theaters of operation, beyond trade shows and corporate announcements.

Every industrial deal like this one, even one discreet about the transaction amount, is patiently building Europe's capacity to defend itself. It is exactly this kind of quiet determination, rather than grand declarations, that will ultimately make the difference against our adversaries.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist

Columnist's transparency note

Who I am and my acknowledged biases

I am a columnist and analyst, not an expert in industrial mergers and acquisitions or a defense systems engineer. I rely exclusively on official press releases from Rheinmetall and DOK-ING as well as established specialized journalistic sources to build this narrative. My editorial mandate commits me to treating this story with an acknowledged favorable stance toward strengthening Western defense capabilities, while rigorously respecting the reported facts.

I have no ties to Rheinmetall, DOK-ING, or the organizations cited in this article.

What I don't know and my method

I have no precise financial data on the exact amount of the transaction, as both parties chose not to disclose it publicly, and I state this explicitly rather than speculating. My method consisted of cross-referencing the official press releases of both companies with several specialized defense and finance reports published at the time the deal closed.

Sources

Primary sources

Rheinmetall — Official press releases — July 1, 2026

Joint Forces News — Rheinmetall Acquires Majority Stake in DOK-ING — July 1, 2026

Secondary sources

Datasite — Market Spotlight: European Defense Deals Set to Soar in 2026

Bain & Company — Defense M&A Report 2026

CNBC — Europe defense stocks face rearmament test — July 1, 2026

ECO Sapo — Rheinmetall reforça aposta em sistemas não tripulados com aquisição na Croácia — July 2, 2026