French, Ukrainian SMEs create joint ground robot venture

French SME Shark Robotics and Ukrainian SME Tencore are creating a joint venture in France to produce ground robots for the country’s defence forces.  

According to an announcement on 22 April from Shark Robotics, a firefighting and security robot provider, the venture will be established by combining expertise with Tencore, a supplier of uncrewed ground vehicles for Ukraine’s military .  

The robots manufactured under the joint venture are intended for logistics, medical evacuation, and engineering support, such as mine clearing. While these will be designed for the French Armed Forces, some may also be donated to Ukraine.  

Speaking to DSEI Gateway, a spokesperson from Shark Robotics said that the “combination of Tencore’s expertise in rapid production and innovation with Shark Robotics’ advanced know-how in security robotics will strengthen the development of robust, field-proven solutions”. 

Over 2,000 of Tencore’s ‘Termit’ defence robots have already been deployed on the Ukrainian frontline, while 40 of Shark Robotics’ ‘Colossus’ firefighting robots were supplied to the country in 2025, with more deployments due. 

The spokesperson added that the value of ground robots has been demonstrated on the battlefield because of the “pervasive” kamikaze drone threat in Ukraine. “Most future land engagements will require a robotised component for logistics, medical evacuation, reconnaissance, and fire support,” they said. 

Operational needs on the ground are “immediate and constantly evolving”, they added, with a key lesson from Ukraine being the value of rapid and adaptive production processes. The development of the robots in France will therefore take into account real-time feedback from the Ukrainian battlefield. 

Developing capabilities for the future  

Cyrille Kabbara, CEO of Shark Robotics, said that the partnership aims to scale up efforts to supply Ukrainian and European forces with ground equipment.  

“Just as in Ukraine, Europe must prepare for conflicts where robots will make the difference. This partnership aims to develop the capabilities we will need in the future,” he said.  

Alongside the French-based venture, a second Ukrainian-based one will also be established. This will provide an “industrial and services platform” to supply robots for firefighting and protecting critical infrastructure. 

To mark the partnership, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the companies at the EU-Ukraine Business Summit, which took place on 22-23 April in Brussels, Belgium.