The acquisition is subject to approval by relevant regulatory authorities, and both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. After completion of the transaction, DOK-ING will continue to operate from its headquarters in Zagreb with its existing management team remaining in place.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Ivan Anušić. The contract was concluded by Vjekoslav Majetić and Dr Björn Bernhard, Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Europe division.
Dr Bernhard highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership for both companies. “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”.
He also noted that the cooperation would strengthen Rheinmetall’s position in the rapidly growing market for autonomous military technologies. “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”, Bernhard continued.
DOK-ING currently holds a strong position in the market for uncrewed systems used in mine clearance and operations in hazardous environments in both civilian and military domains. Since its founding in 1991, the company has delivered around 500 platforms to customers in more than 40 countries.
The company’s mine clearance systems are currently being used with high effectiveness in Ukraine. The partnership between Rheinmetall and DOK-ING builds on cooperation agreed in October 2024 to jointly develop uncrewed ground systems for mobility, countermobility and combat support missions.
The development activities are centred on DOK-ING’s Komodo platform, a modular heavy-duty hybrid uncrewed system with a payload capacity of more than 8.5 tonnes. Rheinmetall contributes additional capability modules and equipment kits, including systems for direct and indirect fire, mine clearance and laying, autonomous functions and logistics support.
Dr Bernhard said the cooperation would allow both companies to expand their technological capabilities. “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”, he added.
Majetić described the agreement as a significant step in the company’s development. “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”, he said.
Majetić also emphasised that the company’s core expertise would remain in Croatia. “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”, he 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 partnership, Rheinmetall and DOK-ING plan to develop several solutions for combat and combat support missions. These include an uncrewed armed support system known as Wingman designed to operate alongside battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for reconnaissance and fire support tasks.
The systems are also intended to operate with existing Rheinmetall platforms such as the Panther KF51 main battle tank, the Büffel/Buffalo recovery vehicle and the Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle. DOK-ING’s technology portfolio includes remotely operated and increasingly autonomous platforms used for humanitarian and military demining, engineering tasks, CBRN response and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The company’s modular systems are designed to support tasks such as mine clearance, improvised explosive device disposal, route clearance and firefighting. These solutions aim to enhance force protection and reduce human exposure to risk for armed forces, civil protection authorities and specialised security operators worldwide.
