Two German autonomous innovators merge today, as Quantum Systems, a developer of AI-powered unmanned systems, announced the acquisition of FERNRIDE to expand their leadership position from air and software intelligence to autonomous ground mobility, creating a connected, cross-domain offering for intelligent unmanned systems.
Both Quantum Systems and FERNRIDE raised funding this year, raising €180 million and €18 million, respectively.
“FERNRIDE has developed one of the most advanced and scalable autonomous ground platforms,” said Martin Karkour, Chief Revenue Officer of Quantum Systems. “By integrating their technology into MOSAIC UXS, we are consistently implementing our vision of creating a connected ecosystem in which unmanned systems think, move and act as a single entity across different dimensions.”
In 2025, coverage shows continued but uneven funding activity across Europe’s defense, robotics and autonomous systems sector, providing useful context for today’s acquisition.
London-based Arondite raised €10.5 million to develop AI software that connects and orchestrates defense systems, focusing on human–machine teaming rather than hardware. In Spain, Valencia-based Voltrac secured €2 million to deploy autonomous ground vehicles for agriculture and frontline logistics, illustrating crossover between civilian and defence use cases. Warsaw-headquartered Orbotix raised €6.5 million to advance AI-driven autonomous defence systems, including swarm technologies, while drone manufacturer Monopulse (operating across Denmark and Lithuania) received €1.12 million to expand NATO-grade UAV production capacity.
Collectively, these disclosed rounds amount to just over €20 million, underlining how exceptional the scale of funding behind Quantum Systems and FERNRIDE is by comparison.
Germany stands out not only through these large capital raises but also through broader sector activity, with Munich-based ARX Robotics unveiling a combat-capable unmanned ground vehicle, signalling sustained momentum in autonomous air-and-ground systems development within the country.
“Europe urgently needs sovereign autonomy solutions. By joining forces with Quantum Systems, we can take our technology to a new level,” said Hendrik Kramer, CEO and co-founder of FERNRIDE. “Together with Quantum Systems, we are accelerating the deployment of our platform in the European defense sector, which is currently the most urgent environment globally for scaling autonomous ground systems. In the future, this experience will also be transferred back to civilian logistics applications, making our society safer and more resilient.”
Founded in 2015, Quantum Systems develops intelligent unmanned systems. The company supplies mission-grade ISR, autonomy and integrated mission solutions to military, government and commercial customers.
Their operational experience in Ukraine has demonstrated the relevance of the interaction between air and ground robotics. The integration of FERNRIDE solutions into MOSAIC UXS, Quantum Systems’ autonomous mission software, is intended to enable multi-domain operations that improve situational awareness and decision-making.
Founded in 2019, FERNRIDE offers an industry-proven software platform for ground autonomy in the areas of container terminals, defense logistics, yard operations and autonomous driving.
In 2025, FERNRIDE became the first company to obtain TÜV approval for autonomous trucks in Europe – they have already used them in initial tests with the German Armed Forces and have expanded their portfolio to include defense logistics.
This acquisition comes less than a month after Quantum Systems tripled its valuation to €3 billion and eight months after their acquisition of drone technology innovator AirRobot – underlining the continued growth and success of the German startup.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/12/following-last-months-triple-valuation-quantum-systems-deepens-its-autonomous-focus-through-fernride-deal/
