{"id":11641,"date":"2025-09-19T12:16:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stage.thedefender.media\/?post_type=insights&p=11641"},"modified":"2025-12-11T15:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T13:03:03","slug":"tank-bureau-feature-story","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"http:\/\/stage.thedefender.media\/en\/insights\/tank-bureau-feature-story\/","title":{"rendered":"From amusement rides to battlefield robots: The story of Tank Bureau"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tank Bureau’s CEO, Nazar Pryimak, calls his co-founder, Dmytro Mamonov, the \u201cfather of Ukrainian UGVs.\u201d Mamonov holds several patents, and his blueprints have been used to build ground robots for companies in Ukraine and abroad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pryimak helped the inventor move from tinkering to business: late last year, Tank Bureau sold 20% of the company to the venture fund Gloster for $200,000. The deal enabled the partners to launch serial production of their flagship NUMO UGV, develop additional models, and set up full-service support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of 2025, Tank Bureau plans to produce 750 ground drones and introduce four new systems. The founders see the company as a future leader in Ukraine\u2019s combat robotics market. Defender Media spoke with Mamonov and Pryimak about how the company was founded and where it is heading<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From children\u2019s rides to combat UGVs<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The story began in 2017 in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, when Mamonov founded Tank Bureau as a family venture inspired by his son\u2019s passion for tank design. A Minor Academy of Sciences school project led to creating a mini, track-mounted tank. The prototype worked so well that the family turned it into an attraction. Soon, scale replicas of T-34s and other tanks appeared in parks in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Dmytro Mamonov \/ Photo: Tank Bureau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Until 2022, the company focused on entertainment. Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion changed everything. Mamonov applied his skills to defence, first designing an electric stretcher \u2013 a small tracked platform for casualty evacuation. Production started in a garage in the Zhytomyr region, where the family had relocated after cluster munitions hit their neighbourhood in Sloviansk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eager to see his inventions reach the military quickly and at scale, Mamonov sold the first licence for the stretcher to a private company and transferred rights to the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, where students built their own versions for training. He followed with a logistics drone, which caught the attention of an assault brigade. As before, he licensed his free and commercial designs to anyone able to scale up production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Self-propelled
Self-propelled electric vehicles for evacuation \/ Photo: Tank Bureau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Mamonov met Pryimak, head of a volunteer initiative that had delivered over 4,000 pickup trucks to the front. Pryimak became CEO of Tank Bureau and set about turning the project into a proper business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Nazar Pryimak \/ Photo by Tank Bureau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the end of 2024, Tank Bureau secured $200,000 in investment at a $1 million valuation. According to registry data, the money came from Gloster, a venture fund backed by former Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NUMO: the flagship UGV<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From stretchers and logistics drones, Tank Bureau pivoted to combat robots. The core of that effort is NUMO, the startup\u2019s flagship platform, now entering serial production. On 17 September, as this article was being finalised, NUMO passed NATO codification and received its official code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with DevDroid, Tank Bureau has already integrated remote weapon stations for PKT-7.62, Browning 12.7, and Mk-19 systems. Other modules, including autocannons, are under development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Integration
Integration of NUMO and DevDroid \/ Photo: Tank Bureau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The company highlights ease of use: basic training for NUMO takes just 5\u201310 minutes, with Tank Bureau providing training materials and frontline service support. Its modular design allows soldiers to swap out damaged components without complex repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NUMO evolved from Mamonov\u2019s logistics drone but incorporates major upgrades:<\/p>\n\n\n\n