Marc Wietfeld is an officer in the Bundeswehr and startup founder. He delivers his robots to NATO countries – and Ukraine.
The Gereon 3 from Arx-Landsysteme is intended to support the Bundeswehr units in operations. Arx land systems
“Technology to protect our freedom and democracy”: These are the words the Munich startup Arx-Landsysteme uses to advertise its vehicle robots. What sounds like pathos is exactly what founder Marc Wietfeld means. He himself is an active Bundeswehr officer. His robots are intended to help first responders in disaster areas as well as soldiers in combat.
“The next big thing in warfare is small,” founder Wietfeld once told the Handelsblatt. After it was founded in March 2021, he invested tens of thousands of euros in equity. Also because investors back then shied away from investing in military technology. Almost two years after it was founded in September 2023, the startup was able to announce its first successful round of financing. Project A Ventures invested 1.15 million euros in the company. The Ukraine war and its consequences have led to a rethink. Defense is once again at the top of the federal government’s priority list. Since then, investments in this area have no longer been as criticized as they were just a few years ago.
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Arx founder Marc Wietfeld is an officer in the Bundeswehr. Arx land systems
Robots can be modified like “an Iron Man or Transformer”.
In battle, the robots can be used to supply your own troops or to spy on or deceive the enemy, according to the startup. The robotic vehicles are able to “imitate the sounds of gunfire, create artificial fog, disrupt drone signals or use laser beams to create distractions.” The devices are therefore suitable for use in areas where larger vehicles such as tanks only do badly. These include, for example, remote forest areas or villages. In addition, the unit price for a Gereon robot is 30,000 to 150,000 euros, which is cheap compared to a tank.
Arx currently offers six small robots that can perform different tasks. There is the Gereon 3, which is supposed to fit in conventional cars. Travel speed: ten kilometers per hour. Area of application: Sensor carrier for extended data acquisition and drone carrier for extended air operations. Or the largest member of the fleet, the Gereon RCS. An “all-in-one system” that can be loaded with up to 500 kilograms. Both have already been delivered to the Bundeswehr, as the founder tells us. Another system, the Gereon ATR, is in use in Switzerland and is designed to withstand weapons fire.
Arx offers various robots in different sizes. Arx Landysysteme
Arx has so far sold the robots to six European countries. The founder tells us that the first systems are also in use in Ukraine. Thanks to the modular systems, which can be converted during use like “an Iron Man or Transformer”, it is possible to react better to the dynamics of battles.
Arx also offers robots outside the military
The startup’s robots do not carry any weapons on board. Nevertheless, it is theoretically possible to equip the systems with a weapon. However, Arx has not made any integration efforts in this regard. But: “We are handing over the sovereignty of the system to the armed forces. You can adapt the system yourself,” says the founder.
Arx also wants to offer its robots outside of military purposes. According to the startup, the robots could also be used in “disasters of any kind such as floods and tsunamis”. Civilian and military use expands the market for the Arx. And the company wants to grow. Around 15 people currently work at Arx. Sales are expected to increase from several hundred thousand euros last year to several million euros in 2024, as Wietfeld tells us.
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