Indian Army inducts unknown numbers of THeMIS UGVs; Detailed comparison of indigenous Gridbots TITAN & Estonian THeMIS UGVs

Estonian firm Milrem Robotics made THeMIS UGV (Left) and Indian Pvt company Gridbots Technologies made TITAN UGV (Right)

THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System), unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), is a ground-based armed drone vehicle designed largely for military applications and is built by Milrem Robotics in Estonia. The vehicle is intended to provide support for dismounted troops by serving as a transport platform, remote weapon station, IED detection and disposal unit etc. THeMIS which has been making waves in the military technology sector has been recently procured by Indian Army. It has also been purchased by 16 countries, 8 of which are members of NATO, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Estonia. Milrem Robotics has recently announced that the German Ministry of Defence has ordered 14 of its THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to be sent to the Ukrainian forces for immediate use for casualty evacuation and for finding and removing landmines and similar devices and will not be armed. As per reports, Russia’s Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) has offered a cash reward for the capture of a THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). CAST recognizes that Russia is behind in the development of autonomous vehicles and hopes to use a captured THeMIS to accelerate the development of Russian technology in this area. THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) Talking about the capabilities of THeMIS, the UGV weighs 1630 kg and can carry a rated payload of 750 kg & maximum payload of 1200 kg. It has hybrid power option and can operate upto 15hrs on hybrid power and 1-5 hrs on electric power. It can operate from 1-5 km line of sight. It has maximum speed of 20 kmph. It also features IR, thermal & HDR camera and IP radio. The UGV is base platform which can be integrated with multiple sensors depending upon the type of mission. For example, THeMIS Mortar carrier can been adjusted to accommodate a mortar up to 81 mm. It can also be equipped with light remote weapon systems to increase firepower in addition to easing the workload of combatants. It has been integrated with variety of RWS such as GUARDIAN 2.0, ADDER DM, PROTECTOR from KONGSBERG and the deFNder® from FN Herstal. The THeMIS Combat with the Hero-120 by UVision can be equipped with up to six Loitering Munition systems that will provide dismounted infantry and Special Forces units with long-range ISR and firepower combination. Ideal for anti-tank missions or other strategic objectives, the Hero-120 is the largest of UVision’s short-range systems. It carries a 3.5 kg warhead and can endure an extended flight time of 60 minutes. THeMIS has also been integrated with TERRAHAWK unmanned C-UAS system. From the capability wise THeMIS is a versatile platform which can carry RWS, Mortars, Loitering Munition and even act as C-UAS system. Gridbots TITAN In the same segment, the Gridbots a Technology company from India and works in the field of Robotics – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Vision has also offered an unmanned ground vehicle to Indian Army. Recently the Gridbots TITAN & ZEUS(Zyoos) has participated in the operation “Dakshin Shakti” conducted by Indian Army and participated with Indian Army Tanks and BMP’s. The Gridbots Titan is a multi utility combat vehicle which can autonomously perform multiple types of operations in the battle field without any human assistance or intervention thereby minimizing the risk for the infantry and enhancing their capabilities on ground operations. It can be used for unmanned and autonomous conduct of silent real-time day and night surveillance, can support weapons mount, situational awareness, casualty evacuation, carriage and delivery of operational loads in Deserts, Plains and High Altitude / Mountain terrain. It has a thermal sight, 360-degree panoramic view & 2-way audio communication.

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