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ELROB
Concept

ELROB

European Land Robot Trial; biennial European military and civilian unmanned-ground-vehicle demonstration

Last refreshed: 24 July 2026

Key Question

Why did Rheinmetall just take over a robotics-trial convoy programme?

Background

ELROB, the European Land Robot Trial, is a biennial European demonstration of military and civilian unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), now in its 13th edition. The 2026 edition ran from 15 to 19 June at the Thun military training area in Switzerland, hosted by armasuisse Science and Technology with Germany's Fraunhofer FKIE and Swiss firm RUAG, the second time the event has been held in Switzerland.

Twenty-one international teams from Europe, the United States and Canada competed across four disciplines: Convoy, Reconnaissance, Mule and Search & Rescue, with every scenario for the first time combining uncrewed ground vehicles with uncrewed aerial vehicles. The Convoy discipline was won by InterRoC, the latest in a research series (now on its seventh iteration, InterRoC VII) developing highly automated convoy control between different, interoperable vehicle platforms.

On 13 July 2026 Rheinmetall announced it was taking over InterRoC VII, converting the ELROB-winning research effort into an industrial programme for autonomous military convoys, an early example of a robotics trial's results feeding directly into a defence prime's product roadmap.

Common Questions
What is ELROB?
ELROB, the European Land Robot Trial, is a biennial European demonstration of military and civilian unmanned ground vehicles, held in 2026 at Thun, Switzerland.
Where was ELROB 2026 held?
ELROB 2026 ran from 15 to 19 June at the Thun military training area in Switzerland, the second time the event has been hosted there.
What is InterRoC VII?
InterRoC VII is the seventh iteration of a research programme developing automated, interoperable convoy control between different vehicle platforms; it won the Convoy discipline at ELROB 2026.
Why did Rheinmetall take over InterRoC VII?
Rheinmetall announced on 13 July 2026 that it was taking over InterRoC VII to convert the ELROB-winning convoy-autonomy research into an industrial programme.