Rheinmetall's Komodo combat robot learns to deploy bridges: Test results
Фото: MV-8 Komodo (Rheinmetall)
Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles, a company established on the basis of the Croatian firm DOK-ING, conducted two rounds of field tests in Croatia on the MV-8 Komodo heavy ground-based robotic system, according to Hrvatski vojnik.
Bridge was deployed without crew
The Komodo-based bridge-laying system was tested at the Cerovac engineering training ground near Karlovca with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Defense and the Croatian Army.
The Cobra bridge, manufactured by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS), has a military load class (MLC) of 90—under this classification, it can support tracked vehicles weighing up to 81.7 metric tons or wheeled vehicles weighing up to 93.9 metric tons.
The 15-meter-long bridge, when deployed, is designed to span small rivers, trenches, canals, and craters approximately 8–14 meters wide.
According to the developers, despite the vehicle's dimensions nearly doubling in height and length, the maximum speed of the hybrid diesel-electric powertrain remains at 55 km/h, and other tactical and technical characteristics remain unchanged.
A key feature of the system, which the company has dubbed the Unmanned Gap Crossing System, is that both the Komodo and the bridge are controlled remotely from a single console by a single operator.
Upon arrival at the crossing site, the bridge unfolds in a matter of minutes—manufacturer GDELS estimates the time at approximately two minutes. The remote control range of the system within line of sight is approximately 1.5 kilometers.
Photo: Croatian National Guard deploying the bridge (Hrvatski vojnik)
Autonomy as separate area of focus
The second phase of testing focused on the PATH A-Kit autonomous driving package, developed by Rheinmetall's Canadian division. The system, originally designed for civilian cargo convoys, was tested at the Eugen Kvaternik training ground near Slunja.
The PATH A-Kit enables the Komodo to travel along predefined routes, drive in a convoy, record and repeat previously traveled paths, and automatically detect and navigate around obstacles using GPS, LIDAR, and radar—even in the absence of a GPS signal. According to the company's engineers, the system proved reliable during testing.
Rheinmetall UV expects to complete testing of the bridge system this fall.
In late August, during the parade marking the 35th anniversary of Independence, 30 Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicles of six different models drove down Khreshchatyk for the first time, and the Ministry of Defense reported that robots had carried out over 100,000 logistics and evacuation missions since the beginning of 2026.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s partners are also showing interest in the remote control of ground robots—in particular, the United Kingdom plans to use the Ajax armored vehicle to control ground robots on the battlefield.
