Estonians and Dutch collaborate to buy THeMIS

Estonia and the Netherlands have signed a joint procurement agreement to buy seven THeMIS UGVs from Milrem Robotics.

Milrem announced on 29 September that it will deliver four THeMIS vehicles to the Royal Netherlands Army in the coming months, while the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) will receive three vehicles imminently.

The Estonian company will also integrate third-party technologies, including weapons systems, onto these seven UGVs. It emphasises that unmanned weapons systems will remain under human control.

Milrem in 2019 delivered two THeMIS UGVs to the Robot and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Unit of the 13th Light Brigade, Royal Netherlands Army.

‘The addition of four extra THeMIS vehicles with a Remote Controlled Weapon System that is operated by a soldier provides us the opportunity to continue to develop concepts to enhance the combat power and decrease the risk for our soldiers,' said Lt Col Martijn Hadicke, commander of RAS unit, in reaction to the latest procurement.

EDF units used THeMIS for 12 months as part of their deployment to Mali in Operation Barkhane and various Estonian units have operated the UGV in exercises.

In all, Milrem claimed, THeMIS has been delivered seven NATO militaries and two other countries. RWS options include Guardian 2.0, which was displayed mounted on the UGV at FEINDEF 2019. Shephard Defence Insight noted that this combination is to be tested by the Spanish Army as part of its Fuerza 35 reorganisation initiative.

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