In December 2025, fighters from the 5th Separate Assault Brigade destroyed enemy armored vehicles using a ground robot for the first time in the documented history of armed conflicts — the reconnaissance-strike complex Droid TW 12.7 from DevDroid. This fact became the company's shortest and most precise resume at negotiations in Gdańsk.
On June 27, 2026, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026, Norwegian Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Ukrainian DevDroid signed a memorandum of understanding. The document formalizes intentions regarding joint development and scaling of remotely controlled combat robotic systems. The partnership became part of a new security dimension of the conference, proposed by Poland: this year, URC included a separate track on defense and recovery of the security sector for the first time.
What DevDroid brought to the negotiations
DevDroid is not a startup with slides. The company arrived in Gdańsk with documented combat results: in December 2025, the Droid TW 12.7 destroyed a Russian MT-LB along with its crew — the first confirmed case where a ground robot successfully engaged armored vehicles in actual combat. Additionally, according to fighters from the 3rd assault unit, one Droid TW 12.7 held a front-line position without infantry for 45 consecutive days — moving to firing positions, suppressing enemy advances, and returning to cover for maintenance.
At the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition, the company presented two systems to an international audience — Droid TW 12.7 and Droid NW 40, both controlled by the Droid Box platform, both already in combat use.
What Kongsberg brings to the partnership
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is a Norwegian defense corporation, primarily known for the NASAMS air defense system, guided combat modules, and precision-guided missiles. The company has experience integrating complex systems into NATO standards and an established supply chain for mass production. This is precisely what DevDroid — like most Ukrainian defense-tech companies — currently lacks.
"Our solutions are tested daily in real combat conditions, and the partnership with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace opens opportunities to scale this experience and create new robotic systems capable of meeting modern battlefield challenges."
Yuri Poritskyi, CEO of DevDroid
A Kongsberg representative, in turn, acknowledged that "the pace of defense technology development in Ukraine today has no parallels" — and that this is precisely what makes cooperation with Ukrainian companies strategically important for shaping future defense capabilities.
Memorandum without mechanism — for now, the norm
URC 2026 in Gdańsk documented at least six memorandums between defense-industrial companies: in addition to DevDroid—Kongsberg, Italian Siralab Robotics signed agreements with Ukrainian Skyassist and Ramzay, and the manufacturer of the "Shablya" combat module Roboneers — with German ARX Robotics. All documents are memorandums of understanding, meaning statements of intent without financial commitments or timelines.
This is not criticism, but context: a memorandum in the defense industry is a standard first step. The question is whether it will translate into specific contracts and joint production — and how quickly.
For DevDroid, the stakes are higher than for most participants: the company is competing not only for Norwegian contracts, but for a place in the global security ecosystem, where Ukrainian combat developments are for the first time claiming the role of a standard, not a local adaptation.
If within a year the memorandum converts into a joint product under NATO standards — DevDroid will become the first Ukrainian robotics company to enter the infrastructure of a major Western defense corporation not as a contractor, but as a technology partner.
