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DISPATCH 03/26 · 9 Jul 2026
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News · Ukraine

Quantum Systems Sends Ukraine's National Guard Ten Ground Robots and Ten Driverless Trucks

A week after its $1.2 billion raise, the Munich drone maker moves from the air onto the ground in Ukraine, fielding its Mandrill robot and autonomy-fitted Zetros trucks for combat validation with the National Guard.

Quantum Systems Sends Ukraine's National Guard Ten Ground Robots and Ten Driverless Trucks
FIG.01 · Ukraine Illustration. Generated key image, not a photo of the event.

A week after its $1.2 billion raise, the Munich drone maker moves from the air onto the ground in Ukraine, fielding its Mandrill robot and autonomy-fitted Zetros trucks for combat validation with the National Guard.

Quantum Systems will deliver ten Mandrill unmanned ground vehicles and ten uncrewed Daimler Zetros trucks to the National Guard of Ukraine, the company said on July 9. A multi-million-euro contract signed in Kyiv sends the vehicles to the front for validation under combat conditions, with Daimler Truck as the program's official partner.

The Zetros trucks run Quantum's MOSAIC Ground Autonomy Kit, a vehicle-agnostic system that retrofits heavy logistics trucks for automated and teleoperated driving while keeping a manual mode, hartpunkt reported. It keeps working with the radio jammed and no satellite navigation, drweb noted, a hard requirement on a front saturated with jamming. Vice President Hendrik Kramer said the contract lets the firm test two of its newest products under real conditions a few months after launch.

Mandrill is a two-tonne-class electric wheeled robot with a 750 kg payload, up to 200 km of range and a top speed near 100 km/h, per the company. It debuted at Enforce Tac in February as Quantum's first ground vehicle and the opening of a new robotics division; the MOSAIC kit launched alongside the Daimler Truck partnership in March. Both systems plug into MOSAIC UXS, the ITAR-free control layer that ties air and ground assets onto one network.

The move lands a week after Quantum closed a $1.2 billion Series D at an $8 billion post-money valuation, CNBC reported, in a year when defense-tech companies have raised a record $17.4 billion. The company's systems flew more than 19,000 missions in Ukraine in 2025, by its own count. The same autonomy stack feeds a German program, InterRoC, under which Daimler and Quantum are building unmanned Bundeswehr convoys, with certification for military use targeted for 2027.

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This is Quantum's own ground hardware, separate from the Munich-Kyiv venture building 2,000 Ukrainian TerMiT robots in Germany. What the National Guard sends back from the front now feeds both the Ukraine deliveries and the German convoy program riding on the same code.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Quantum Systems agree to deliver to Ukraine?

Ten Mandrill unmanned ground vehicles and ten uncrewed Daimler Zetros trucks fitted with the MOSAIC Ground Autonomy Kit, sent to the National Guard of Ukraine under a multi-million-euro contract signed in Kyiv, the company said on July 9. hartpunkt reported Daimler Truck is the program's official partner.

What is the Mandrill?

Per Quantum Systems, Mandrill is a two-tonne electric, modular wheeled unmanned ground vehicle with a 750 kg payload, up to 200 km of range and a top speed near 100 km/h. It debuted at Enforce Tac in February 2026 as the company's first UGV and the launch of a new ground robotics division.

What does the MOSAIC Ground Autonomy Kit do?

hartpunkt reported it is a vehicle-agnostic system that turns heavy logistics and tactical trucks into automated and teleoperated platforms while keeping a manual driving mode. Quantum says it works in GNSS-jammed environments and plugs into MOSAIC UXS, the control layer linking the firm's air and ground assets.

How is this different from the Quantum-Tencore TerMiT deal?

That June joint venture will build 2,000 Ukrainian-designed TerMiT ground robots in Germany. This contract delivers Quantum's own Mandrill UGVs and Daimler Zetros trucks directly to Ukraine's National Guard for combat validation.

How does this connect to Quantum's funding and the Bundeswehr?

It comes a week after Quantum closed a $1.2 billion Series D at an $8 billion post-money valuation, CNBC reported. The same autonomy stack feeds a German army program, InterRoC, under which Daimler and Quantum are building unmanned Bundeswehr convoys, with certification for military use targeted for 2027, per drweb.

AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.

San Francisco, California, USA

Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.

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