Diehl Defence UGV Ziesel with PLATON autonomy kit impresses at Enforce Tac 2026

February 24, 2026 – In addition to systems for drone defence or ground-based air defence, Diehl Defence also presents the renowned ‘Unmanned Ground Vehicle’ (UGV) Ziesel with the PLATON autonomy kit at this year’s Enforce Tac from February 23 to 25 in Nürnberg. This underlines the company’s focus on the battlefield of the future, in which unmanned systems on the ground will play an important strategic role. The current version of the Ziesel is characterized, above all, by improvements in control and mobility in difficult terrain.

The Diehl Defence UGV is based on the Ziesel platform from Mattro. With its small dimensions of 1.6 x 1.3 m (LxW), its low dead weight of 380 kg and a maximum payload of more than 500 kg, this vehicle is the perfect infantry support when it comes to transportation of heavy equipment in the terrain. Due to its high maneuverability, the UGV can accompany soldiers through a dense wooded area without impeding them. Equipped with exchangeable 11 kWh lithium-ion batteries, Ziesel operates completely electrically, attracts no attention by loud running or engine noises and is able to reach a speed of up to 20 km/h.

The autonomous capabilities of the UGV are realized by the autonomy kit PLATON which is developed by Diehl Defence. The ground vehicle in the follow-me-mode operates without active sensors, such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and GPS, which could be easily detected or jammed by the enemy. The UGV maneuvers, for example, the armed forces’ equipment around trees, is able to evacuate injured soldiers and manages obstacles by either avoiding or, if possible, driving over them. The autonomy capabilities are not limited to the Ziesel platform, but can also be integrated into other vehicles, such as the RMMV HX2, Patria AMV and 6×6 as well as the UGV THeMIS from Milrem Robotics. The integration into other large vehicles is planned for 2026.

By combining the platform with the PLATON modular autonomy kit, the customer receives a proven hardware and software solution from a single source. In the future hardware and software adaptations will also continue in the form of improvements to all necessary components and the expansion of functionalities. The Ziesel is currently being tested by several armed forces, including Germany and Ukraine. Diehl Defence thus underlines its ability to deliver modular “off-road autonomy” for unmanned and manned vehicles.

Diehl Defence