THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles, made by Milrem Robotics in Estonia, operating in Ukraine will now feature Starlink satellite connectivity. This will allow for operation from thousands of kilometers away. The specific THeMIS variant devoted to cargo transportation will showcase this new feature at the Eurosatory 2024 trade show next week. Milrem has already provided over a dozen THeMIS vehicles to Ukrainian forces.
Milrem partnered with Dutch datalinks firm AEC Skyline for the integration of this latest satellite connectivity feature. By leveraging the Starlink system, THeMIS vehicles can transmit data, receive commands, and relay vital information in real-time, regardless of their location on the battlefield. SpaceX began shipping ground terminals to Kyiv shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Starlink satellites operate in low-Earth orbit at less than 600 kilometers above the Earth, providing better performance for the system’s intended applications. Reports emerged that a captured model of the combat robot was damaged, but Milrem declined to comment on the images. Military procurement and international security correspondent Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is based in Milan, Italy, covering topics including the aviation sector.
