Chugach signs agreement to explore building Milrem's unmanned ground vehicles in the U.S.

Chugach Alaska Corporation and Milrem Robotics signed a memorandum of cooperation Oct. 12 under which the Alaska Native corporation could become Milrem's preferred U.S. industrial partner for producing, assembling, integrating and sustaining its unmanned ground vehicles.

Chugach CEO Jonathan Dalrymple and Milrem Chief Sales Officer Stefan Behre signed the agreement at the Association of the United States Army 2026 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The companies say it explores a long-term industrial partnership serving the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies, the commercial dual-use market and Foreign Military Sales, the established U.S. acquisition channel through which allied and partner nations could buy Milrem systems built in the United States.

"Our objective is not simply to sell systems into the United States, but to establish the capability to produce, integrate and sustain them there," Behre said.

"Milrem Robotics' systems are already in operational use on or part of robotics programs in 21 countries, and building and sustaining them here would give U.S. and allied forces a more direct path to that capability," Dalrymple said.

Milrem, with offices in Estonia and six other countries, builds the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle and HAVOC robotic combat vehicle and leads iMUGS2, a 55 million euro European program. The company announced in 2023 that EDGE Group, a UAE defense group, had acquired a majority stake.

Chugach employs about 5,000 people at 110 locations in 28 states and 10 countries, according to the release, and reported $963.8 million in 2025 revenue in its Top 49ers announcement. Its federal services arm helped modernize the cybersecurity of the USS Ted Stevens before the Navy commissioned the destroyer this month, Alaska News reported Oct. 9.

The announcement names no production site, timeline or dollar value; Dalrymple said the companies "look forward to defining what that partnership can become."