Germany Displays SAND-X DOV Dual-Mode Combat UGV for Drone-Era Last-Mile Resupply.

Eiselin Landsystems presented its SAND-X Dual Operating Vehicle at Enforce Tac 2026 in Germany, showcasing a hybrid wheel-and-track platform that can shift from manned to unmanned operation for last-mile resupply, casualty evacuation, and fire-support missions. The system reflects a growing U.S. and NATO push to reduce troop exposure in drone-saturated battlefields while maintaining tactical mobility and tempo.

Eiselin Landsystems is positioning the SAND-X Dual Operating Vehicle (DOV) as a high-mobility “fight and sustain” platform that lets small units move faster while keeping soldiers out of the most dangerous last-mile tasks. Observed by Army Recognition during Enforce Tac 2026 in Germany, the vehicle’s core proposition is not a new weapon in isolation, but an armament-ready, dual-mode carrier that can be driven to the forward edge by a crew and then switched to unmanned operation for the most exposed legs of resupply, casualty evacuation, or fire-support positioning. That combination targets a real battlefield trend: the rising cost of moving people and supplies under persistent drone surveillance and precision strike.
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Eiselin Landsystems' SAND-X Dual Operating Vehicle (DOV) combines high-mobility wheel-and-track performance with "optionally manned" operation, allowing troops to drive it forward and then switch to unmanned mode for last-mile resupply, casualty evacuation, or mission payload delivery in drone- and fire-threatened areas (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

The SAND-X DOV is built around a hybrid mobility architecture: wide-set forward wheels paired with a tracked rear drive module, a layout intended to keep ground pressure low and stability high on soft substrates while retaining road mobility. The platform features a low center of gravity and can transition between manned and unmanned employment in seconds, with unmanned control supported by mesh-network extenders. The configuration displayed at Enforce Tac reflects that logic, with an open crew position forward and a rear mission deck engineered for payload modules, sensor masts, communications packages, or weapon stations.

The DOV’s dual-operating concept is enabled by a low-latency robotics and control package built around a ground control station that provides vehicle “dashboard” data and high-resolution camera feedback, with provisions, as described by the manufacturer, for electronic warfare options, including counter-UAV and jamming payloads. Beyond basic teleoperation, the system incorporates AI-assisted remote operation and convoy capability, supporting a “manned lead, unmanned follow” construct for contested routes. The company further frames secure beyond-line-of-sight control and real-time sensor and video feeds as central to the system, aligning the DOV with the wider NATO push for resilient tactical robotics in high-electromagnetic-interference environments.

Mobility and environmental tolerance are considered the DOV’s defining military contributions. The Enforce Tac configuration highlights an advanced 4-stroke, liquid-cooled engine with intelligent throttle control, a heavy-duty SXM track system, and a suspension designed to carry modular payloads, with an operating temperature band stated as -45°C to 50°C. While the company does not publish a full public datasheet for speed and payload on the DOV page, the platform’s lineage traces to earlier SAND-X tracked ATV variants that were promoted for very high cross-country speed and rapid acceleration, with legacy reporting citing up to 185 km/h and payload figures around 300 kg for earlier militarized configurations. For operators, the key question is not top speed on paper, but whether the vehicle can repeatedly cross sand, snow, mud, and broken ground at a tactically useful tempo without becoming a recovery burden.

The SAND-X family has been fielded with various units since 2008, suggesting a long maturation arc from a special mobility platform toward a packaged manned-unmanned system. Public visibility on end users remains limited, but the manufacturer has stated that SAND-X variants have entered service with Egypt’s Thunderbolt Special Forces, and earlier industry reporting indicated that the broader T-ATV and SAND-X family had been marketed into more than 40 countries, though without a transparent customer list. For procurement analysts, that combination implies two things: the platform likely benefits from operational feedback cycles, but much of its user community may be special operations or internal-security customers whose acquisitions are not routinely disclosed.

The DOV’s strongest use case is a layered “manned-to-contact, unmanned-through-contact” tactic. A country could employ it to push ammunition, batteries, water, and specialist stores forward under armor-light but signature-managed mobility, then send the vehicle unmanned across observed danger areas such as drone-watched road cuts, mined verges, or pre-registered artillery lanes. In casualty evacuation, the same logic supports unmanned extraction from the point of injury to a covered transfer point, reducing the exposure of medics and drivers. The vehicle’s modular deck and remote payload control concept also supports fire-support missions where a light remote weapon station, loitering munition launcher, or anti-armor effector is positioned briefly, fired, and displaced before counterfire.

Against competitors, SAND-X is a speed-and-flexibility play in a market often optimized for payload. Platforms such as Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS emphasize higher-rated payload capacity and sustained unmanned logistics support, typically at lower maximum speeds. Rheinmetall’s Mission Master CXT similarly prioritizes extreme-terrain autonomy and payload mass, trading compactness and ride-on simplicity for heavier logistics integration and modular mission kits. SAND-X’s differentiator is the ability to put a human on the machine when tempo matters, then remove the human when risk spikes. The trade space is that heavier UGVs can carry more, integrate larger power budgets for sensors and effectors, and may offer more growth margin for protection and redundancy.

For militaries evaluating adoption, the decision hinges on whether the DOV’s autonomy, communications resilience, and human-machine switching concept can be proven under real electronic attack and sustained field maintenance cycles. If it can, the platform offers a pragmatic bridge between fast manned light tactical vehicles and slower, heavier unmanned logistics carriers, with particular relevance for dispersed operations, special operations forces, and drone-saturated last-mile sustainment.