German military start-up seeks carmakers’ help to re-arm Europe

{"text":[[{"start":7.34,"text":"Europe must pair its defence tech companies with carmakers and other legacy manufacturers to build the capacity it needs to defend itself against Russia, according to the head of a fast-growing German military start-up."}],[{"start":20.02,"text":"Marc Wietfeld, co-founder of the Munich-based ARX Robotics, said Germany and other manufacturing nations should harness their industrial base to produce the types of unmanned systems that have come to define the war in Ukraine."}],[{"start":32.68,"text":"“If we don’t want to find ourselves like the Ukrainians in the first months of the war . . . we should work on this backbone now,” he said. But rather than build expensive new factories to produce such weaponry, Europe should tap into existing capacity to “access the industry muscles we already have”, he told the FT."}],[{"start":50.12,"text":"Adapting industrial production lines to make complex weaponry such as battle tanks was difficult, Wietfeld said, but such facilities were ideal for producing simpler products such as ARX’s range of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that can deliver supplies to the front line and evacuate wounded soldiers."}],[{"start":67.6,"text":"ARX aims to raise capacity eightfold to an annual 8,000 vehicles at a bigger site outside Munich that will begin production next month. But the company expects demand for UGVs to rapidly outstrip even this new higher capacity."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":82.04,"text":"The German government is pushing for more tie-ups between its beleaguered car industry and the booming defence sector, which is struggling to meet the surge in demand after European nations committed to massively increase defence spending."}],[{"start":94.7,"text":"Some collaborations have emerged, such as carmaker Volkswagen’s deal for its Osnabrück factory to be used by Israeli weapons company Rafael to make parts for the Iron Dome air defence system. But some in Berlin see a lack of enthusiasm from some established defence players."}],[{"start":109.9,"text":"One official said defence companies were sometimes dismissive of the idea because they were reluctant to “share their cake”."}],[{"start":116.28,"text":"But Wietfeld said collaboration was not only possible, but “the only way for us to build resilience”."}],[{"start":121.72,"text":"ARX has already partnered with German engine maker Deutz, which has adapted its production lines to manufacture the Gereon, its flagship unmanned vehicle. It is also working with automotive supplier Schaeffler and is in discussions with Bosch."}],[{"start":134.96,"text":"Wietfeld left school at 16 to become a steel industry apprentice. After national service, he wanted to stay in the military but was not allowed to pursue officer training without a German school leavers’ certificate. He attended night school while working full time, and returned to the army before obtaining degrees from Bundeswehr University."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":155.18,"text":"He founded ARX in 2021 with two other former soldiers amid growing alarm that European armies were failing to adapt to the rise of unmanned systems, a concern compounded by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022."}],[{"start":170.24,"text":"Wietfeld remembers vividly the first time, in 2024, that he saw images of a multimillion-euro Leopard 2 tank being destroyed by a cheap Russian drone."}],[{"start":179.32,"text":"“As a German army officer, a Leo 2 is a symbol of our land superiority,” he said. “That was the moment when I realised: it’s done. Our superiority has to be something else.”"}],[{"start":191.08,"text":"Hundreds of ARX’s Gereon vehicles are now used on the battlefield in Ukraine."}],[{"start":196.52,"text":"The growing importance of unmanned vehicles was brought home in April when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a Russian position had been captured solely by unmanned ground vehicles and aerial drones — a first in the history of warfare."}],[{"start":210.68,"text":"Zelenskyy said the same month that Ukraine must produce 50,000 UGVs this year alone."}],[{"start":216.16,"text":"ARX in June announced a joint venture with Ukrainian company Roboneers to produce its Rys Pro unmanned vehicle at an annual rate of tens of thousands. This was part of a broader push to bring German and Ukrainian defence companies together to share expertise while boosting supplies to Kyiv."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":233.4,"text":"The company, which has won contracts with the British Army and the German Bundeswehr, also produces the larger Hector unmanned vehicle and is working on driverless variants of the Zetros military truck made by Mercedes-Benz."}],[{"start":246,"text":"“The Ukrainians told us: guys, you have only one task and that is to reduce human movement on the ground,” Wietfeld said."}],[{"start":253.52,"text":"Unusually for the defence tech sector, ARX has sought limited venture capital. Its most recent funding round last year raised €31mn at a valuation of more than €500mn."}],[{"start":265.24,"text":"Wietfeld said ARX had revenues “in the three-digit millions” and was able to use its own capital to invest in expanding production."}],[{"start":273.28,"text":"He also confirmed reports that the company, which last week announced it was setting up a presence in Poland, had been approached by a large European defence company looking to buy the business but insisted: “ARX is not for sale.”"}],[{"start":291.7,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789367523_9168.mp3"}