THeMIS UGV completes first deployment in Mali
NewsMay 07, 2020
MALI. Milrem Robotics, the provider of robotic solutions for challenging environments, completed its first deployment period of its unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), THeMIS, in operation Barkhane in Mali. The THeMIS was initially deployed to Mali with the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) during a French lead counter-terrorism operation in April 2019.
Up until April 2020, the vehicle was regularly used during patrols by Estonian soldiers and for transporting supplies within their base. In total, three Estonian platoons utilized the vehicle during their deployments.
During the deployment in Mali, the THeMIS traversed 745 miles in harsh terrain of lava rock soil and climates climbing to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. The UGV was operational for over 330 hours, according to officials.
The company claims that in the future the EDF would like to utilize the THeMIS together with additional ISR, communication support, jamming, and remote weapon system capabilities. Milrem Robotics claims it will continue to support the EDF in mission areas in the future and is currently preparing for possible future deployments as early as the end of 2020.
