Germany Unveils 100 km/h Mandrill UGV for 750 kg Resupply and MEDEVAC Missions.

Quantum Systems unveiled its Mandrill unmanned ground vehicle at Enforce Tac in Nuremberg, presenting a 100 km per hour, 750 kg payload platform built for logistics, MEDEVAC, and ISR missions in contested environments.

Quantum Systems is extending unmanned maneuver support into the ground domain with its Mandrill unmanned ground vehicle, a high-speed platform built to move sensors, supplies, and casualties through contested areas while reducing troop exposure. Seen by Army Recognition on the show floor at Enforce Tac in Nuremberg, Mandrill signals a deliberate push by one of Europe’s fastest-growing drone firms to connect air and ground robotics into a single operational system-of-systems rather than a collection of standalone vehicles.
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Quantum Systems’ Mandrill is a high-speed unmanned ground vehicle built for contested operations, able to haul 750+ kg of supplies or mission payloads at up to 100 km/h, support resupply and MEDEVAC, operate in GNSS-denied environments, and host modular ISR, EW, towing, and drone launch-recovery kits with onboard power distribution for forward teams (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

Mandrill arrives as land forces confront a harsh arithmetic: last-mile logistics and casualty extraction are increasingly lethal under persistent surveillance and loitering threats. Modern UGVs are therefore evolving from niche EOD tools into maneuver enablers that can keep dismounted units supplied, seed sensors forward, and maintain tempo without committing scarce protected mobility to every short-range run. Quantum Systems is explicitly positioning Mandrill for that problem set, emphasizing operations in contested and degraded environments and the need for coordinated, multi-domain autonomy.

Mandrill is optimized for speed, payload, and modularity rather than heavy protection. Quantum Systems lists two lengths, 2.9 m short and 3.7 m long, with a 1.8 m width and a 1,190 kg vehicle weight, paired with a payload rating of more than 750 kg. Propulsion is dual-electric with a stated 150 kW motor configuration, supported by 400V battery options of 43 kWh or 54 kWh, and an optional range-extender in a hybrid variant. Maximum speed is listed at 100 km per hour with an electric range up to 200 km, and the chassis can be configured for wheels with an optional tracked drive set, allowing the same autonomy and payload architecture to migrate across terrain profiles. Environmental hardening is claimed to IP67 and IP69 standards.

Where Mandrill departs from many robot mule entrants is its emphasis on being a mobile node inside a broader unmanned ecosystem. Quantum Systems frames mission packages that include remote ISR with EO and IR payloads, logistics and engineering support, rescue and MEDEVAC, towing and recovery, electronic warfare integration, and robotic drone launch and recovery, reinforced by bi-directional charging that can turn the platform into a forward power source for distributed teams and their electronics. The company also claims a 100 percent gradient capability and design intent for GNSS-denied conditions, both relevant to real-world cross-country movement when jamming and terrain masking degrade navigation and control links.

Mandrill’s development path matters because Quantum Systems is not starting from zero in military integration. The firm is anchoring Mandrill inside its MOSAIC UXS software-defined architecture, marketed as an open, modular command-and-control environment designed to share situational awareness and coordinate missions across unmanned domains, with interoperability with NATO-standard systems stated as a design feature. This builds on the company’s existing defense footprint, including UAV deliveries and modernization programs with European customers, and a broader push into multi-vehicle autonomy demonstrated in earlier swarm-related work.

For an adopting country, Mandrill’s most immediate tactical value is in reducing soldier exposure and cognitive load during repetitive but dangerous tasks. A plausible employment model is to assign UGV sections at battalion level to support dismounted companies by running pre-planned resupply routes under overwatch, extracting casualties from exposed collection points, emplacing unattended sensors, and acting as a mobile battery and communications mule for small units operating beyond vehicle access. Its speed changes the calculus for windowed missions such as rapid CASEVAC under drone observation, while its payload capacity supports heavier loads like water, batteries, loitering munition reloads, or specialist payload kits. The key acquisition question is not only the vehicle, but the supporting architecture, including secure control links, training pipelines, sustainment spares, and tactics for operating under electronic warfare pressure.

Quantum Systems has not publicly named any Mandrill operators yet, so fielded usage by country cannot be confirmed at this stage. By contrast, established competitors illustrate what normalization looks like. Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS family is already being purchased and trialed across multiple European forces, with Sweden signing for a THeMIS Cargo demonstrator and Spain receiving a vehicle for evaluation, while Ukraine has received significant quantities under European-backed initiatives.

In capability terms, Mandrill appears to target a different performance corner than the most common NATO UGV baselines. TheMIS offers a comparable rated payload of 750 kg but at a much lower speed of around 20 km per hour, trading pace for mature variants and a long trail of operational experimentation. Rheinmetall’s Mission Master line emphasizes endurance and heavier payloads up to 1,000 kg with hybrid-electric configurations and long stated ranges, but typically not the 100 km per hour sprint profile that Quantum Systems is advertising for Mandrill. At the squad-support end, GDLS’s MUTT and S-MET approach focuses on follow-me load carriage to extend dismounted reach, generally accepting lower performance in exchange for simplicity and integration into infantry routines.

The near-term test for Mandrill will be whether its speed and range promise survives the operational realities that define UGV credibility: autonomy in dust, mud, and cluttered terrain; control resiliency under jamming; and modular payload swaps that are genuinely field-fast. If Quantum Systems can translate its UAV-driven software culture into reliable ground mobility and supportable logistics, Mandrill could become a credible European contender in the fast-growing unmanned last-mile market, especially for forces prioritizing rapid maneuver support over heavy robotic combat platforms.