BERLIN, June 11 — Mercedes-Benz has partnered with drone defence firm Tytan Technologies, the companies said Thursday, making it the latest German carmaker to expand in the defence sector as traditional automotive businesses struggle.

The two firms have agreed to develop mobile drone defence platforms based on Mercedes’ G-Class SUV as well as its Sprinter van, they said, adding that a memorandum of understanding had been signed at the ILA Berlin air show.

“We are pooling our respective strengths,” Mercedes-Benz production head Michael Schiebe said.

“Mercedes-Benz stands, today and in the future, for robust and reliable vehicles, while Tytan brings highly specialised expertise in drone, sensor and mission technology.”

The vehicles would carry Tytan’s “drone defender” system, comprising radar and interceptor drones, a Tytan spokeswoman told AFP, adding that production numbers and timelines were still to be decided.

A Mercedes-Benz spokesman said the company could not comment on numbers.

The move comes as officials across Europe have blamed Russia for a surge in suspicious drone activity, including suspected flights over Munich airport last October that resulted in dozens of flight cancellations affecting thousands of passengers.

Mercedes already produces a military version of the G-Class, called the Wolf, and CEO Ola Kaellenius told the Wall Street Journal last month that Mercedes would be willing to play a role in European rearmament as nations ramp up defence spending.

The Volkswagen Group’s CEO, Oliver Blume, meanwhile said in March that VW was in talks with defence firms about making military transport vehicles at an underused plant in northern Germany.

The 10-brand group, which apart from its namesake also includes Audi and Porsche, plans to cut 50,000 posts in Germany by 2030 amid fierce competition in key market China and high costs at home. — AFP