On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the German group Rheinmetall AG announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Croatian company DOK-ING, which specializes in unmanned ground vehicles. Once the acquisition is finalized, the German company will hold a 51% stake in the firm, while the founder and previously sole owner of the company established in 1991, Vjekoslav Majetić, will retain a 49% share.
Image: Rheinmetall AG
The entry of Rheinmetall AG into DOK-ING requires approval from the relevant regulatory authorities – the Croatian Competition Agency (Agencija za zaštitu tržišnog natjecanja; AZTN). Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Once the transaction is finalized, DOK-ING will continue operating from its headquarters in Zagreb, and the current management team will remain in place to ensure strategic continuity and operational stability. This arrangement is consistent with and supported by Rheinmetall AG.
In the presence of Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Ivan Anušić, the agreement was signed by the aforementioned Vjekoslav Majetić and the CEO of Vehicle Systems Europe at Rheinmetall, Björn Bernhard.
Dr. Björn Bernhard said:
“The combination of Rheinmetall’s expertise in tactical vehicles and DOK-ING’s capabilities in uncrewed systems will create a strong market position for us with considerable potential for the future. At the same time, we are establishing a foothold in Croatia, being an EU and NATO member, and we will be gaining access to this highly interesting customer country.”
“Our competence centre for uncrewed and autonomous systems for military applications is now being established in Croatia. With this new set-up, it is our goal to obtain a strong market position in the segment of uncrewed combat support and armoured military engineering systems. We do see the potential for significant growth in this market and believe that we are entering the global market at the proper time with our new products. This is underlined by ongoing and planned procurement projects in many other countries.”
DOK-ING holds a well-established market position in unmanned solutions for demining and operations in hazardous and high-risk environments in both the civilian and military sectors. Since its founding, the company has delivered around 500 platforms to customers in more than 40 countries. Currently, DOK-ING’s demining solutions are proving highly effective in Ukraine.
It should be recalled that on October 28, 2024, Rheinmetall AG and DOK-ING entered into a partnership initially focused on the joint development of unmanned ground vehicles for various purposes, including scatterable mine-laying, support for counter-mobility operations against enemy forces, and support for combat operations. An important aspect of the partnership between Rheinmetall and DOK-ING is its entirely European origin and the creation of value within Europe.
Komodo / Photo: DOK-ING
These activities are based on the Komodo system newly developed by DOK-ING – a modular, heavy hybrid unmanned platform with a payload capacity of over 8.5 metric tons. Rheinmetall AG contributes various modules and equipment packages, including systems for direct and indirect fire, demining and mine-laying, autonomy, and logistics.
The prototype was presented on June 29, 2021, following three years of development carried out in cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing of the University of Zagreb and with financial support from the European Union through the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative within the European Defence Agency.
Komodo was designed primarily for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance on the battlefield, as well as for handling toxic industrial waste in civilian applications. It is equipped with an automated decontamination system for vehicles, personnel, surfaces, and the platform itself (Cristanini), as well as sensor systems from Smiths Detection and Bruker. The robot can collect samples of gases, liquids, and solids, grasp and push objects, extinguish fires, and cool surfaces.
The robot weighs 17 metric tons, is 7.3 meters long and 2.3 meters wide, and uses a hybrid propulsion system consisting of a diesel engine, electric motors, and a battery pack, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 30 km/h on paved roads. The maximum control range from the operator station is 1,500 meters. It can also autonomously follow another vehicle and avoid obstacles.
Dr Björn Bernhard said:
“DOK-ING and Rheinmetall are two leading European suppliers in their very special field, and by joining forces, we can realise challenging projects. Together, we are aiming at setting new standards and hence, pave the way for uncrewed ground systems (UGS) which are ready for mass production and deployment.”
Vjekoslav Majetić, founder of DOK-ING said:
“This partnership with Rheinmetall marks the next phase in DOK-ING’s development. Over more than three decades, we have built strong technological capabilities and established a solid international presence in demanding markets. We have now reached a stage where further value creation and production scaling require a partner with substantial industrial capacity, system integration expertise and global market access.”
“DOK-ING’s development, engineering excellence and core competencies will remain in Croatia. By joining forces with Rheinmetall, we are creating the conditions to expand production capacity, accelerate the development of next-generation uncrewed specialised systems, and strengthen our long-term competitiveness,” Majetić added. “This strategic step positions DOK-ING for sustainable growth and reinforces Croatia’s role within the European defence and technology landscape.”
Under the new ownership structure, DOK-ING and Rheinmetall AG plan to develop a range of solutions for combat and combat support operations. This includes the development of an unmanned combat system (known as Wingman), intended to support tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in reconnaissance and fire support roles. These systems are also expected to operate alongside existing Rheinmetall products, such as the KF51 Panther, the Bergepanzer 3 Büffel armored recovery vehicle, and the Pionierpanzer 3 Kodiak heavy engineering vehicle.
#Strategic #acquisition in the field of uncrewed and #autonomous systems: #Rheinmetall to gain majority stake in DOK-ING https://t.co/ZacqkOpg2K pic.twitter.com/tdQnquDZyy
— Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) March 4, 2026