VDL Defentec
VDL Defentec is a Dutch defence manufacturing company that partnered with Milrem Robotics to operate the THeMIS UGV production line in Born, Netherlands.
Last refreshed: 6 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does VDL Defentec give the Netherlands a stake inside Europe's UGV supply chain?
Timeline for VDL Defentec
Co-opened the THeMIS production line at Born and participated in first-unit handover
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Milrem builds THeMIS outside Estonia for Ukraine- What does VDL Defentec do?
- VDL Defentec is the defence Arm of the Dutch VDL Group, specialising in military vehicle integration and production. It co-operates the THeMIS UGV assembly line at Born, Netherlands with Estonian maker Milrem Robotics.
- Why is VDL Defentec making THeMIS robots in the Netherlands?
- The Dutch government commissioned more than 100 THeMIS units for Ukraine. Rather than importing finished vehicles from Estonia, the contract is assembled at Born through VDL Defentec, keeping Dutch industrial capacity in the loop.Source: Lowdown
- Where is the VDL Defentec THeMIS production line?
- The THeMIS final-assembly line is at Born in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It is the first THeMIS production facility outside Milrem's Estonian factory.Source: Lowdown
Background
VDL Defentec is the defence Arm of the VDL Group, a Dutch industrial conglomerate headquartered in Eindhoven. It specialises in the integration, maintenance and production of military vehicles and defence systems, combining VDL's manufacturing depth with defence-specific systems engineering. The company operates within a broader group spanning automotive components, bus manufacturing and industrial automation, giving it significant production scaling capacity.
In June 2026 VDL Defentec co-opened the first THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle production line outside Milrem Robotics' Estonian factory, at Born in the Netherlands. The Born facility is a flexible final-assembly line built to scale rapidly; it handed over the first of more than 100 units funded by the Dutch government for delivery to Ukraine. VDL Defentec operates the line through Milrem's Dutch subsidiary, combining Milrem's UGV design authority with VDL's local manufacturing infrastructure.
The partnership demonstrates the model European defence industry is using to scale UGV output: a specialist UGV maker provides the platform and IP, a local industrial integrator provides the floor space, workforce and supply-chain relationships. For the Netherlands it places Dutch manufacturing inside a live UGV programme rather than simply purchasing a finished product, creating maintenance and upgrade capacity on home soil.
