Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 6, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Milrem Robotics teams up with Dutch drone firms for production at VDL's Netherlands site, focusing on military orders for Dutch and Ukrainian forces.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Estonian defence firm Milrem Robotics and several Dutch drone companies have signed deals to use space at a factory owned by Dutch industrial firm VDL, the Netherlands Defence Ministry said on Monday.
The companies were expected to host hundreds of workers at the site in Born and fulfil orders for both the Dutch and Ukrainian militaries, a spokesperson said.
Milrem, which makes unmanned ground vehicles, was joined by Dutch dronemaker DeltaQuad, a supplier to the Dutch Air Force, and Tulip Tech, which makes technology to improve battery efficiency and extend drone range.
The ministry spokesperson said details of exactly what and how much will be produced at the site, where VDL manufactured cars for BMW until March 2024, were sensitive both for security and commercial reasons.
The spokesperson said there was a "pipeline" of other firms examining using the site for military production.
A spokesperson for VDL, best known as a supplier to computer chip giant ASML said there was still significant unused space at the site.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling;Editing by Alison Williams)
Milrem Robotics is an Estonian defense company specializing in unmanned ground vehicles and advanced robotics for military applications.
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are robotic systems designed to operate on the ground without human operators, often used in military and defense operations.
Drone makers design and manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat missions in military operations.
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