Estonian defense company Milrem Robotics has launched a new production line at a factory in the Dutch city of Born, the work will be carried out jointly with the local defense company VDL Defentec.
Such production is starting so that the Netherlands can fulfill its obligation to supply 100 new THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, as Defense News details, the newly created enterprise has already transferred the first manufactured UGV to the Dutch government.
Read more: Ukraine Got Estonian THeMIS UGV by Milrem Robotics, russia Want Get It Declaring Just $16,500 Bounty, Company Commented on Supply
From Defese Express in this case we want to emphasize that the above-described chain of interaction between various entities and the production of unmanned ground vehicles looks at least interesting, while the place of production of the UGV for the Armed Forces of Ukraine looks quite unexpected.
To be more specific, the very idea of producing unmanned systems at facilities in Europe looks rational, as this, in particular, protects production from the consequences of regular russian strikes on our territory. But then the question of logistics arises, that is, the "shoulder" of delivering finished THeMIS UGVs directly to Ukraine.
The mention in this story of interaction with the defense company VDL Defentec, which specializes in technological solutions for the assembly of armored vehicles and electric engines, and will now also deal with tracked unmanned ground vehicls, attracts attention.
It is also worth emphasizing the high characteristics of the THeMIS UGV, which, in particular, can carry up to 1,200 kilograms of payload with a mass of 1.63 tons, have a speed of up to 20 km/h, and a hybrid power plant that provides up to 1.5 hours of operation on an electric motor and 15 hours on a diesel engine.
During the tests, the THeMIS UGV successfully traveled as much as 1,200 kilometers through the desert, and during various demonstrations it even showed the ability to tow wheeled armored vehicles. A separate advantage of this UGV is the ability to carry various types of weapons.
In general, it turns out that the Netherlands, as part of its military assistance program for Ukraine, has undertaken to supply 100 new THeMIS UGVs. At the same time, the production scheme provides that these UGVs first become the property of the Dutch government, and only then should they be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is unknown how many such UGVs are currently in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces. We can just summarize that in 2024 the Armed Forces of Ukraine had 14 THeMIS, and by the end of 2025 this number should grow to 200 units. Also in May 2024, the Estonian Milrem Robotics announced its intention to increase the production level to 500 THeMIS at its own facilities, but whether this has been implemented is currently unknown.
Against this background, we can conclude that European countries, in particular the Netherlands, want to create their own production chain of various types of unmanned systems based on their defense support programs for Ukraine. Among European defense companies there are owners of relevant technologies, such as the aforementioned Milrem Robotics.
In this way, it is possible to build a chain in which Europeans, out of motives of helping our country, create their own drone production industry, which is a significant factor for Ukraine in all possible senses, including in the issue of exclusivity and demand for Ukrainian developments and experience in using various types of weapons.
Ivan Kyrychevsky, serviceman of the Raid 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment, Defense Express expert.
Read more: Ukraine to Receive Record Number of Combat-Proven THeMIS UGVs from Estonia's Milrem Robotics
