World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system
Nation Shield is the latest iteration of the MARSS C2 system and is designed to provide C2 further forward along with more capable air defence.
Milrem-Otokar co-operation will involve the existing fleet of both companies. (Photo: Milrem Robotics)
Estonian company Milrem Robotics announced on 30 September that it signed a teaming agreement with
Turkish firm Otokar earlier that month during the DSEI 2021 exhibition in London, to merge know-how and resources for the development of autonomous technologies in uncrewed and robotic military vehicles.
The cooperation will entail working with the existing fleet of vehicles of both companies and introducing new systems by developing intelligent functions, encryption and safety features as well as environmental awareness and hybridisation.
Milrem Robotics heads the iMUGS consortium that was awarded €30.6 million ($37.4 million) from the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme to develop a European standardized UGV system.
Otokar has 34 years of experience in military vehicles and provides products and services to more than 55 end-users in more than 35 countries. Nearly 33,000 vehicles made by the Turkish company are actively used in NATO and UN missions in different climates and geographies around the world.
Nation Shield is the latest iteration of the MARSS C2 system and is designed to provide C2 further forward along with more capable air defence.
Vehicle procurement in the Middle East continues to target big-ticket main battle tanks, with lighter platform purchases also potentially on the horizon including tactical, infantry fighting and armoured personnel carrier vehicles.
Positioned between light 4x4s and heavier 8x8 platforms, the new vehicle, Vantrex, aims to combine high payload capacity with IFV-level firepower in an increasingly competitive segment.
The latest infantry fighting vehicle from Rosoboronexport draws on experience from the war in Ukraine, and is designed to be more lethal and more survivable than its predecessors.
The Rhino 4x4 protected vehicle is being manufactured for an undisclosed country, likely to be Singapore, while its Agil counter-UAS C2 system is in low-rate production.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in its land forces, notably in the area of air defence as recently as 30 January, is a sign of the challenges the Gulf State faces, particularly the threat from Houthi rebels in Yemen.