Netherlands to provide 20 quad and buggy Ermine manned/unmanned vehicles for Ukraine

A Rheinmetall Ermine manned/unmanned vehicle in 4×4 configuration. (Rheinmetall)

The Dutch Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Rheinmetall Defence Nederland to supply Ukraine with 20 quad and buggy manned and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) called Ermine, a Rheinmetall representative confirmed to Janes on 27 June.

The representative did not provide any more details on the type of buggy to be provided to Ukraine. According to the German defence manufacturer, the Ermine modular hybrid vehicle family includes a 4×4 quad used for silent hit and run operations; a 4×4 buggy that can be used as a light weapon station; and a 6×6 buggy that can carry launcher systems for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or loitering munitions. The line also includes UGVs, which can be used to transport wounded soldiers. All vehicles are based on a diesel-electric hybrid platform that can carry up to one tonne of payload and have a range of more than 1,000 km depending on the vehicle's configuration.

The vehicles, set to be delivered in 2026, are intended to strengthen Ukraine's capability for casualty evacuation (casevac) near the front line, according to Rheinmetall.

Dutch company Demcon Defense & Security Systems is set to provide “part of the unmanned scope”, the Rheinmetall representative said. According to the Demcon website, the company offers components of unmanned systems including integration between hardware and software. The Royal Netherlands Army asked Demcon to research artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including the way it processes data from various sensors, according to the company.

In 2018 the Dutch army began working on a Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) project, which looks at autonomous systems and robotic platforms.

Belgium-based Abiom Communication Systems “will provide part of the communication scope”, according to the Rheinmetall representative.