Estonian Milrem Robotics to deliver over 150 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine

Milrem Robotics, one of the world’s leading developers of robotic and autonomous systems, will deliver over 150 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine as part of a defence initiative funded and coordinated by the Netherlands. A significant portion of the equipment will be assembled and delivered in cooperation with VDL Defentec.

The donation was announced in September, but the donor country was not disclosed at the time. On 6 October the Dutch Minister of Defence, Ruben Brekelmans, together with representatives of Milrem Robotics and VDL, officially confirmed the agreement.

Deliveries will be executed by Milrem Robotics Netherlands in close cooperation with VDL Defentec, which is establishing a dedicated final assembly line at its facility in Born. The new infrastructure is designed to be scalable to increase production volumes according to future needs.

Milrem Robotics will also provide comprehensive training for Ukrainian operators and technical personnel to ensure the effective use and maintenance of the vehicles in field conditions.

The new units will supplement 15 THeMIS that are already in service in Ukraine and have proven their effectiveness on the battlefield since 2022.

THeMIS is intended to support infantry units, logistics, reconnaissance and combat support. It is in service or part of robotics programmes in 19 countries. In August the Ukrainian defence-tech company Frontline successfully integrated the Burya grenade-launcher turret on a THeMIS and has already confirmed its effectiveness in live-fire tests in Ukraine.