During a live fire exercise in April held in Tapa, Estonia, Milrem Robotics and ST Engineering demonstrated a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) combat UGV armed with a 40-millimeter AGL and a 12.7-millimeter HMG.

Made up of Milrem Robotics' THeMIS UGV and ST Engineering's ADDER DM Remote Weapon Station, the joint warfare system is meant to be a force multiplier for dismounted troops that can be used in urban areas, as well as rural areas.

Described as a “tracked all-terrain system” with ground clearance up to 60 centimeters, the combat UGV can negotiate 60 percent of slopes and “pass 61 cm deep water obstacles.” Capable of reaching a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour, the UGV is powered by a diesel-electric drive that, depending on the mission, can offer 15 hours of constant operations without re-fueling.

The Combat UGV can be armored up to STANAG 4569 level 3 while keeping all of its dynamic capabilities, the entities note.

“Our joint combat UGV is one of the first armoured UGVs in the world that’s especially well suited for urban conflict areas,” says Jüri Pajuste, director of the Defence Programs Department in Milrem Robotics.

The system is equipped with an advanced medium-caliber weapon system armed with a 40-millimeter AGL and a 12.7-millimeter HMG. In cooperation with the Estonian Defence Forces, both weapons passed live fire tests that were conducted in April.

The combat UGV is configured for wireless BVLOS control from a distance of 1,000 meters and 2,500 meters in urban and rural areas, respectively. The system can be commanded by the operator from an ergonomically-designed mobile or stationary crew station that is matched with a Graphical User Interface for intuitive workflow and task execution. The system greatly lowered the cognitive workload on the operator, which reduced operator fatigue and improved combat performance.

To ensure a secured firing, the weaponized system uses an Unmanned Network Control System consisting of a general L-Band datalink and a dedicated Fire Control UHF-Band datalink embedded Fire Control System.