Ukrainian Armor, a member of NAUDI and one of the largest suppliers of weapons and equipment to the Defense Forces of Ukraine, is seeking opportunities to collaborate with German industry. The cooperation aims to produce two new armored vehicles.
The company disclosed this to Breaking Defense during the MSPO 2026 defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland. One of the potential partners mentioned is Mercedes-Benz, whose Unimog chassis was used to develop the Varta 3, one of the two new vehicles.
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For Ukrainian Armor, Germany is a natural choice for a partner. It is one of Ukraine's largest suppliers of military aid and wants to involve its own industry more in the effort. However, company officials say they have not yet held negotiations with the German government regarding future orders for armored vehicles.
From Defense Express we would like to note that Ukraine is currently facing difficulties in placing orders for armored vehicles. Therefore, seeking funding from partner countries for these purchases would both meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and help keep production facilities operational.
Germany has already provided funding on multiple occasions for the procurement of drones and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) as part of a joint Ukrainian-German production program. Another example is the 155-mm Marta self-propelled howitzers based on Mercedes-Benz Zetros trucks, which were ordered in December 2025.
Since the Varta-3 uses a Unimog chassis manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, the partnership could help persuade the German government to order these vehicles for Ukraine as well. However, the collaboration could also extend to other areas, including assistance with supplying components and spare parts, as well as the potential development of new solutions and vehicles.
It is worth noting that Germany has already funded the delivery of products from Ukrainian Armor to the National Guard of Ukraine. These are the Protector UGVs, the first batch of which has already been delivered to the military.
Overall, Ukrainian Armor has already signed numerous cooperation agreements. These include agreements with MBDA missile-manufacturing giant, the licensed production of ammunition from CSG, and the localization of jet engine production for missile drones.
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