March the 5th, 2026 – Germany’s Rheinmetall has recently signed a contract by which they will purchase a majority stage (51%) in Croatia’s well known company DOK-ING.
Based in Dusseldorf, Rheinmetall is the largest German and the fifth largest European arms manufacturer. Its origins date back to 1889, when the Rheinische Metallwaren-und Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft was founded with the aim of producing ammunition for the needs of the then German Empire.
It’s clear to see that this company has not only lasted the test of time, but thrived in it, managing to confirm its leading position in a constantly evolving world. It recently eyed the famous Croatian unmanned ground system solution provider DOK-ING, going as far as to purchase a 51% stake in the company.
Founded by Vjekoslav Majetić back in 1991, DOK-ING has risen to relative fame on a global scale, with the war in Ukraine bringing its innovative systems even more strongly into the limelight. Rheinmetall’s website has revealed the details behind the cooperation between the two strong enterprises, with the recently signed contract in Zagreb signalling close cooperation lies ahead.
the purchase price has not been disclosed
Rheinmetall is therefore expanding its already enviable portfolio with this latest acquisition in the field of unmanned systems. The contract recently signed in the City of Zagreb to purchase the aforementioned majority stake of Croatia’s DOK-ING begins a new chapter for Rheinmetall. It also turns a page for the Croatian part of the company, given that the remaining shares (49%) will be retained. It should be stated that Rheinmetall’s entry into DOK-ING remains subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Both parties have agreed not to publicly disclose the purchase price.
Following this transaction’s completion DOK-ING will continue to operate from its headquarters in Zagreb, with the existing management team remaining in place to ensure strategic continuity and full operational stability.
The contract on the sale of the majority stake was signed in the presence of Ivan Anušić, Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, by Vjekoslav Majetić, DOK-ING’s founder, and the CEO of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Europe division, Dr Björn Bernhard.
the establishment of a foothold in croatia
Dr Björn Bernhard said: “The combination of Rheinmetall’s expertise in tactical vehicles and DOK-ING’s capabilities when it comes to unmanned systems will form a strong market position for us with considerable potential for the future. At the same time, we’re establishing a foothold in Croatia, being an EU and NATO member, and we’ll be gaining access to this extremely interesting customer country”.
“Our competence centre for unmanned and autonomous systems for military applications is now being established in Croatia. With this new set-up, our aim is to obtain a strong market position in the segment of unmanned combat support and armoured military engineering systems. We can see the potential for significant growth in this market and believe that we’re 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 otherwise has an exceptionally strong market position when it comes to unmanned solutions for mine clearance and operations in all kinds of hazardous and high-risk environments in both civil and military domains. The Croatian company has delivered around 500 platforms to customers in over 40 countries. As touched on above, DOK-ING’s expert mine clearance solutions have been extremely welcome and very effective over in Ukraine.
The two companies actually agreed on the formation of a partnership back in October 2024, which initially focused on jointly developing unmanned ground systems for mobility, counter-mobility (mine clearance and laying) and various combat support operations. One aspect of the partnership between Rheinmetall and DOK-ING worth mentioning is its entirely, purely European origins.
DOK-ING’s newly developed Komodo formed the basis of this, given that it is modular heavy duty hybrid unmanned platform, which has a staggering payload capacity exceeding 8.5 tonnes. Rheinmetall is contributing with various capability modules and equipment kits, including those for direct and indirect fire, mine clearing and laying, autonomous capability and various logistics.
dok-ing’s development, engineering and competencies will remain in croatia
Dr Björn Bernhard said: “DOK-ING and Rheinmetall are two leading European suppliers in a special field. In joining forces, we can deal with even more challenging projects. Together, our goal is to set new standards and pave the way for unmanned ground systems (UGS) ready for mass production and deployment”.
Vjekoslav Majetić, founder of DOK-ING stated the following: “DOK-ING’s partnership with Rheinmetall hails the next phase in the company’s development. Over more than 30 years, we’ve built strong technological capabilities and established a solid international presence in demanding markets. We’ve 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 all remain in Croatia. By joining forces with Rheinmetall, we’re creating the conditions to expand our production capacity, accelerate the development of next-generation unmanned specialised systems, and strengthen our long-term competitiveness. This strategic step positions DOK-ING for sustainable growth and reinforces Croatia’s role within the European defence and technology landscape.”
solutions for combat and combat support operations
In joining forces, DOK-ING and Rheinmetall have ambitious plans to develop various solutions for combat and combat support operations. This includes a project for an unmanned armed support system (known as Wingman) to be used with battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for reconnaissance and fire support purposes. These systems will also be used alongside existing Rheinmetall products, including the Panther KF51 Main Battle Tank, the Büffel/Buffalo recovery tank, and the Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle.
