Russian troops have "affected" the Estonian combat robot THeMIS
MOSCOW, June 13 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. NATO countries continue to "supply" Russia with advanced military technologies. At the end of May, the THeMIS robotic platform of the Estonian manufacturer MILREM Robotics was captured in the SVO zone. This machine is very interesting for the Russian defense industry. Ground—based drones from the Baltic States are among the most advanced not only in the West, but also around the world. About the valuable trophy — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Universal Robot
THeMIS is one of the few military developments of a small Estonia that does not have its own defense industry. MILREM Robotics first introduced this robot in 2015 at the DSEI exhibition in London, and an updated version was shown to specialists in 2019. THeMIS caused a serious stir in the West: in 2021, the German concern Krauss-MaffeiWegmann and the Canadian company Lumina Technology Partners joined the project. Ten NATO countries have already purchased these platforms for their own armed forces. Ukraine also received several units in 2022.
THeMis unmanned tracked modular platform with DM 40/50 remote weapon station at the IDEX-2019 International Arms Exhibition in Abu Dhabi
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexander Melnikov
THeMIS is a tracked unmanned ground vehicle with an open architecture. It is available in three versions. THeMIS Transport is designed to deliver ammunition to the front line and evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. The payload capacity is 1200 kilograms, which means it carries up to 25 artillery shells of 155 mm caliber at a time.
THeMIS Combat is a combat modification. It is equipped with 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns, a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, a 30 mm rapid-fire cannon or an anti-tank missile system. The weapon is stabilized — the platform is capable of firing in motion. There is a night sight and a thermal imager, allowing the operator to work at any time of the day at a line-of-sight distance. In addition, equipment for detecting and neutralizing mines and improvised explosive devices can be installed on the robot.
THeMIS Unmanned Vehicle
Image source: © Photo : Milrem Robotics
The third option, THeMIS ISR, is a scout. There are a lot of sensors on it. The main task is to provide ground forces units with information about what is happening on a certain section of the front. It is also used as a radio signal repeater, an electronic warfare platform and for illuminating a target with a laser beam, which makes it very effective in conjunction with high-precision strike complexes.
The interest of the defense industry
The chassis is based on two side armored hulls with tracked thrusters. Between them is a platform for the target load. The power plant is hybrid: diesel, rechargeable battery and traction electric motors. The tracks cover the side hulls, above them there are shelves for mounting the necessary tools.
THeMIS is 2.4 meters long, two meters wide, and 1.15 meters high. Curb weight is 1,635 kilograms. The speed is up to 20 kilometers per hour. All units of the power plant provide operation for 15 hours. Batteries without diesel are enough for 90 minutes. When installing certain loads, the duration of work is reduced in accordance with their energy consumption.
Data from video cameras and various "technical vision" sensors are fed into the control system with a high degree of autonomy. The car is able to identify the features of the road and take them into account. There is a mode of independent movement along a given route and direct operator control over the radio channel.
THeMIS robotic platform (tracked hybrid modular infantry system) of Estonian production Milrem Robotics at the International Defense Exhibition in Doha (DIMDEX), Qatar
Image source: © AFP 2024 / KARIM JAAFAR
THeMIS robotic platforms in various equipment have repeatedly participated in exercises both in Estonia and abroad, including those conducted under the auspices of NATO. The development is considered very promising.
Russian specialists in THeMIS are interested in many things. A hybrid power plant that provides long-term operation. The control system and associated equipment (of course, for a complete set it would be nice to grab the operator's console, but the main thing is still the platform itself). Lightweight, but durable booking, which does not burden and allows you to develop considerable speed for ground-based robotic systems. And that's not all. There is no doubt that the information that engineers will extract from the combat trophy will benefit the domestic military-industrial complex.
Russia's response
Russian troops are using several types of ground-based robotic platforms in the area of their defense. For example, "Uran-6" — these tracked drones helped in the demining of Mariupol and Azovstal. Various minesweepers were installed on the cars.
A more advanced development, the Marker complex, made its debut in Donbass, both in wheeled and tracked versions. It is equipped with both machine guns, automatic cannons, grenade launchers, and reconnaissance equipment that allows you to observe the situation in the visible, infrared and radar ranges.
Mobile robotic platform "Marker"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Vitaly Timkiv
There are several more models in development. In particular, the caterpillar complex "Dispatch". According to Rostec, this is the world's first land-based FPV drone. The operator in special glasses controls the drone with special precision through the camera.
Dispatch is a one—time platform. It is supposed to load it with explosives and send it towards the enemy for remote self-detonation. A load capacity of 150 kilograms is enough to destroy even heavily fortified positions.
And the Buggy from the Signal Research Institute is already taking 250 kilograms on board. In terms of high-explosive effects, this drone is comparable to the FAB-250 aerial bombs, which played a major role in the liberation of Avdiivka, among others. The complex accelerates to 40 kilometers per hour, which, combined with its small size, makes it difficult to defeat enemy fire. And the range is 45 kilometers.
The Buggy FPV Complex
Image source: © Photo : Rostec/Telegram
The Impulse-M of Gumich and Rostec companies transports up to a ton. It can set and remove mines, transport ammunition, evacuate the wounded, and hit enemy armored vehicles with ATGMs. The feature of the system is a fully Russian control module with artificial intelligence, which allows the device to act independently in many situations. For example, in case of a violation of the communication channel with the operator, Impulse-M returns to the starting point at points on the ground recorded in the on-board computer.
In general, a captured ground drone is most welcome to us. Russia is actively engaged in unmanned systems, and any Western model for the domestic defense industry is worth its weight in gold. THeMIS will now help create more effective means to combat enemy robots and give impetus to the development of more advanced combat systems of its own.