Estonian developer of robotics and autonomous systems Milrem Robotics will deliver more than 150 THeMIS ground robotic complexes to Ukraine, the company said in a statement.
The delivery will be carried out as part of an initiative funded and coordinated by the Netherlands. A significant part of the vehicles will be assembled and shipped in cooperation with the Dutch company VDL Defentec.
The THeMIS shipment was announced back in September. However, the country in cooperation with which the delivery would be carried out was not named at that time. Now, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans joined Milrem Robotics and VDL for the official announcement and signing ceremony at the VDL factory.
"The deliveries will be executed by Milrem Robotics Netherlands in close cooperation with VDL Defentec, which is establishing a dedicated final assembly line at its Born facility. The assembly setup is designed for scalability, enabling further production and deliveries in response to future requirements," Milrem Robotics said in a statement.
The Estonian company will train Ukrainian operators and maintenance personnel to ensure effective use and maintenance of THeMIS on the ground.
"We are honoured to lead this project in partnership with the Netherlands and VDL. The THeMIS platform has already demonstrated its value under combat conditions, and we believe this contribution will materially strengthen Ukraine’s defence capability," said Kuldar Vaarsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
The new complexes will complement the 15 THeMIS, which are already in operation in Ukraine and have proven their effectiveness on the battlefield since 2022.
THeMIS is a versatile unmanned vehicle platform for infantry support and battlefield efficiency. It is part of robotics programs or is in use in 19 countries around the world.