France will supply Estonian-built unmanned ground vehicles to the Ukrainian government to support its resistance to Russia’s invasion.
Revealed by Tallinn-based Milrem Robotics, the project incorporates six of the company’s flagship Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) platforms integrated with route clearance solutions.
They will be sent to the French military equipment developer CNIM Systèmes Industriels, which will outfit the robots with a specialized demining payload, before distribution to affected regions in Ukraine.
For Quick Anti-Mine Missions
Milrem said that the package will be adopted by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service for “rapid” minesweeping operations in high-risk environments.
During missions, the fleet will remotely scan, identify, and neutralize different explosive threats while enforcing safety for mine countermeasures teams.
The drones will also support other roles of the state agency, such as civilian movement security, environmental resource protection, agriculture preservation, and residential area renovations.
In Ukraine, the drones will be designated as Route Clearance Unmanned Systems (ROCUS) unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and will join the first seven systems delivered under the same effort in 2022.
“THeMIS UGVs have already proven their versatility and reliability in various operational scenarios in Ukraine and elsewhere,” Milrem Robotics CEO Kuldar Väärsi stated.
“Our continuous partnership with CNIM Systèmes Industriels to provide the ROCUS system demonstrates the strength of European defence cooperation and the commitment to supplying meaningful capabilities to Ukraine.”
Estonia-Ukrainian UGV Cooperation
Milrem Robotics signed an agreement with Ukraine’s state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom in 2023 to jointly manufacture advanced tactical UGVs.
The strategic collaboration combines the firms’ expertise in ground-based autonomy to produce capabilities critical to multi-domain operations.
Some of the systems developed through the program will be based on the THeMIS anti-tank, mine countermeasures, and medical ground drone variants.
