German startup Circus Defence to supply autonomous nutrition systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

At the beginning of November, the Munich startup Circus Defence announced a strategic partnership with the Ukrainian defence tech cluster Brave1 and the US–Ukrainian fund MITS Capital. Under the agreement, the German side will deploy autonomous infrastructure systems in Ukraine, starting with AI-powered autonomous nutrition supply systems, which will soon appear at Brave1 facilities. Ukraine will become the first country in the world to test Circus products during active defence operations, the company notes.

Brave1 and MITS Capital have not made the agreement public. At the time of publication, the editorial team had not received their comments regarding this partnership. Defender Media explains what is known about Circus Defence and the company’s robotic kitchens.

UPD: After the article was published, Defender Media received a comment from MITS Capital. “We confirm that the memorandum has indeed been signed; however, due to security and operational reasons, its details remain undisclosed,” the company said. “We can’t wait to share more about this exciting partnership.”

About Circus Defence

Circus Defence is a subsidiary of Circus focused on solutions for the defence sector (autonomous robots, logistics, infrastructure). The parent company announced the creation of Circus Defence on 4 November 2025 – one day before the partnership with Brave1 and MITS Capital was revealed.

Circus is a German company specialising in autonomous robotics and AI infrastructure. It was founded by several serial entrepreneurs in 2021. Historically, Circus concentrated on systems for civilian use, particularly cooking robots.

Today, Circus’s core product is the autonomous CA-1 nutrition system and the CircusOS operating system, which runs the company’s robotic kitchens. Recently, the Ukrainian YouTube channel Meykanemo published a review of CA-1. The material describes in detail how the AI-based “smart wagon” can prepare and serve food without any human involvement.

CA-M: an autonomous kitchen for the military

In April 2025, Circus introduced CA-M, a military version of its autonomous kitchen designed to prepare and pack meals for soldiers in field conditions. Packed in a camouflaged container, the AI system can operate fully autonomously and provide troops with hot meals in places where traditional kitchens do not exist.

Developers say the CA-M’s container design enables rapid transport and deployment, even in the field, providing round-the-clock access to fresh, nutritious meals without kitchen infrastructure or permanent staff.

It is the CA-M defence robotic kitchens that are planned to be deployed in Ukraine with the support of Brave1. How exactly Ukraine will use these systems remains unknown. According to the European outlet Tech.eu, the first CA-M deployments are planned in the coming months in cooperation with local partners. The company is reported to have already signed initial contracts with Ukrainian partners, whose names are not being disclosed for security reasons.

Tech.eu also reports that Circus plans to set up a local team in Kyiv to manage the deployment and operation of autonomous systems, provide technical support, train operators, and handle logistics. The Kyiv office will serve as a regional hub coordinating integration and maintenance across Ukraine.

The agreement with Brave1 and MITS Capital is not limited to robotic nutrition systems. Circus Defence expects the partnership to become a foundation for a broader programme to supply various autonomous defence systems to Ukraine.