Estonian company Milrem Robotics has introduced a tactical unmanned ground vehicle featuring an artificial intelligence (AI)-guided weapon system.
The solution combines Milrem’s existing THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle and the HITROLE lightweight common remote-operated weapon station developed by Italian defense firm Leonardo.
THeMIS provides direct fire support and is usually deployed as a force multiplier for unmounted troops.
Meanwhile, the HITROLE turret can be equipped with a 12.7 or 7.62-millimeter machine gun, as well as a 40-millimeter automatic grenade launcher. It is programmed with artificial intelligence-based functions for threat identification, prioritization, and tracking.
Alongside stand-off assaults, HIRTOLE is applicable for surveillance, counter-sniper, patrolling, and border security missions.
“The THeMIS has proven to be the most popular and suitable robotic mobility platform for [Remote Weapon Station] integrations,” Milrem Robotics CEO Kuldar Väärsi said.
“Our cooperation with Leonardo and the integration of HITROLE represent the next crucial steps in this journey. Together with Leonardo, we can offer a highly capable robotic combat system to the Italian Army and customers worldwide.
“This will significantly enhance warfighting capabilities and, even more importantly, contribute to troop safety.”
Recent Projects
Milrem teamed with Michigan robotics partner Loc Performance in June to pitch a system for a US Army program seeking a light-class robotic combat vehicle.
The resulting platform will be employed for different unmanned operations, including autonomous battlefield navigation.
In April, Milrem achieved a milestone by opening its combat and firefighting ground drones for the Latin American market in Brazil.
Last year, the company led a consortium to test various ground drones in France to support an EU program developing manned and unmanned teaming methods that will address “a large range of missions” in the future.