Deutz, ARX Robotics launch unmanned ground system

The strategic partnership aims to deploy Deutz’s battery-electric drives and, in future, smaller combustion or hybrid drives, in the ARX Robotics unmanned ground systems. (Photo: Deutz AG)

Deutz AG is launching industrial series production of the Gereon, an unmanned ground system for deployment on the battlefield, at its facility in Ulm, Germany, as part of a strategic partnership with ARX Robotics, a Munich-based defense-tech company that is developing a new generation of unmanned, software-defined ground defense systems.

Production is scheduled to start in a few weeks, with the first systems to be delivered to Ukraine as early as late summer.

“Alongside technological know-how in the powertrain market, industrial scaling potential is a key strength of Deutz,” said Marco Herre, CEO of the Business Unit Defense at Deutz. “To deliver the Gereon to Ukraine, we are ramping up production at our Ulm plant. In this way, the strategic partnership with ARX Robotics is creating a substantial contribution to strengthening European defense policy through support for Ukraine.”

The production of the Gereon is scheduled to start shortly, with the first systems to be delivered to Ukraine as early as late summer. (Photo: Deutz AG)

Marc Wietfeld, co-founder and CEO of ARX Robotics, commented, “The war in Ukraine shows that Europe’s defense capability depends not only on innovation, but also on industrial scaling. ARX Robotics and Deutz are building the bridge between military innovation and industrial mass scaling. Together, we are accelerating the development of these capabilities.”

The strategic partnership also aims to deploy Deutz’s battery-electric drives and, in future, smaller combustion or hybrid drives, in the unmanned ground systems. The two companies plan to develop an interface that connects ARX’s AI-driven software platform Mithra OS with the drive systems.

In addition, Deutz will provide energy infrastructure in the field, including power generators and storage solutions as well as replaceable batteries. ARX Robotics will also be able to access Deutz’s global production and service network, increasing the scalability and serviceability of the solutions and allowing even large orders to be processed more quickly.