▲ Military G-Wagon 'Wolf'
German automaker Mercedes-Benz has decided to collaborate with a defense startup to develop an off-road vehicle capable of detecting and shooting down drones.
The daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Mercedes-Benz plans to sign a memorandum of understanding to this effect on June 10 (local time) with Titan Technologies, a startup based in Munich.
Titan Technologies supplies the German Armed Forces and the Ukrainian military with interceptor drones that have a flight range of 40 kilometers, capable of detecting enemy drones, calculating their flight paths, and neutralizing them.
The plan is to mount these interceptor drones onto the Mercedes-Benz G-Class off-road vehicle to create a mobile air defense system.
Mercedes-Benz already supplies the G-Class, known as the G-Wagon, to the German Armed Forces in a modified military configuration.
Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the primary goal of this collaboration is to protect critical domestic infrastructure, such as airports, from drone threats.
Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, stated in a media interview last month that the company is "ready to play a positive role as Europe builds up its defense capabilities," signaling its intent to cooperate with the defense industry.
The German automotive industry, mired in a long-term slump, is striving to find new opportunities in the defense sector, where European nations are pouring in budgets.
This includes plans to address overcapacity by transferring factories and personnel to defense companies that are currently overwhelmed with orders.
Mercedes-Benz is reportedly in discussions to sell its Ludwigsfelde plant in Brandenburg to KNDS, a German-French joint venture that manufactures tanks and armored vehicles, while rumors suggest that the Osnabrück plant of industry leader Volkswagen may be acquired by Rafael, an Israeli state-owned defense company.
(Photo: German Ministry of Defence website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.