NATRIX UGV

Latvia's Ministry of Defence has signed contracts with three Latvian companies — Brasa Defence Systems, Natrix, and LV-Teh — to supply and experimentally introduce domestically manufactured unmanned ground systems into the National Armed Forces, the ministry announced on April 10, 2026. The agreements mark the first formal procurement of locally developed ground drone systems for integration across regular Latvian military units. The contracts cover the gradual integration of unmanned ground systems into various units of the National Armed Forces' regular forces, alongside close ongoing collaboration with the developers themselves. Under the terms of the agreements, the three companies will also provide support, repair, warranty, and modernization services for the delivered systems. Latvia's National Armed Forces additionally retain the right to conduct accelerated follow-on purchases of additional systems under the same contractual framework. Defence Minister Andris Sprūds underscored the significance of the procurement as a validation of Latvia's domestic defence industry. "Local entrepreneurs have created innovative technological solutions for remotely operated ground systems that meet the initial requirements of the National Armed Forces," he said. "I am pleased that the dedicated work on testing the ground drone systems developed in Latvia has culminated in concrete results and signed supply contracts." The contracts are structured to ensure the systems evolve in close step with user feedback. Soldiers operating the platforms in the field will generate practical assessments, and developers will adapt the equipment rapidly to reflect the National Armed Forces' current operational needs. Critically, those adaptations will draw on lessons from the war in Ukraine — a conflict that has produced an unprecedented volume of real-world data on how unmanned ground systems perform, fail, and can be improved under live combat conditions. Unmanned ground systems — commonly referred to as ground drones — are remotely operated or autonomous wheeled or tracked vehicles that can be used for a range of military tasks without placing personnel directly in harm's way. Depending on their configuration, such platforms can carry out reconnaissance, logistics resupply, casualty evacuation, or direct fire support. The systems procured under these contracts are described as remotely operated, meaning a human operator controls them from a safe distance, typically via a radio or digital data link, rather than the vehicle operating fully independently. Their tube for integration into existing unit structures, combined with built-in upgrade pathways, is designed to allow the National Armed Forces to field capable systems now while continuously improving them as the technology and operational understanding mature. (Photo by NATRIX UGV) The practical execution of the contracts will be handled by the Autonomous Systems Competence Centre of the State Defence Logistics and Procurement Centre — a dedicated body within Latvia's defence acquisition infrastructure specifically established to manage unmanned and autonomous system programs. That institutional arrangement reflects Latvia's recognition that unmanned systems require a different procurement and sustainment model than conventional equipment, one that prioritises iteration speed over rigid long-term specifications. The contracts are the direct outcome of a public market survey organised by the Ministry of Defence throughout 2025, during which commercial firms were given the opportunity to demonstrate their unmanned ground systems in live conditions at specialised National Armed Forces training ranges. That competitive demonstration process, rather than a traditional paper-based tender, allowed evaluators to assess real-world system performance before committing public funds — a procurement approach increasingly favoured by smaller NATO allies seeking to accelerate fielding timelines without sacrificing technical due diligence. Latvia's Ministry of Defence has indicated it intends to apply the same procurement model systematically to other unmanned ground system developers, as well as to developers of other remotely operated and autonomous platforms. Equivalent market survey, demonstration, and contract negotiation frameworks are already underway or in planning for aerial, maritime, and underwater unmanned and autonomous systems — a signal that Thursday's ground drone contracts are the leading edge of a broader unmanned systems procurement drive rather than a standalone initiative. Minister Sprūds also highlighted the contracts on social media, framing them explicitly within Latvia's wider drone capability expansion. "We are expanding and strengthening the National Armed Forces' drone capabilities with ground drones," he wrote, listing the three contracted companies by name and noting the adaptation process would be grounded in the experience of Ukraine's armed forces. Latvia, a NATO member sharing a border with Russia and Belarus, has consistently prioritised investment in asymmetric and unmanned capabilities as part of its national defence strategy. The country hosts NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup and has been among the Baltic states most active in drawing operational conclusions from the war in Ukraine for its own force development. Procuring domestically built ground drones — with embedded upgrade rights and industry collaboration baked into the contract — reflects an approach calibrated for a security environment where technology cycles are measured in months, not years.

NATRIX UGV

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Latvia confirms ground drone procurement from three local firms

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