For the first time, the Estpla-32 infantry platoon, which is currently serving in Mali, deployed the Milrem Robotics THeMIS UGV during a military operation.

During the deployment, the UGV’s implementation in support of infantry in the conflict area was tested from both a tactical and a technical viewpoint.

“Deploying an unmanned vehicle will allow units to increase their combat power, as it reduces the physical load to soldiers and allows additional supplies to be included in an operation such as heavy weaponry, additional water and ammunition that could not be transported without the vehicle,” explains 2nd Lieutenant Madis Pärnpuu, the second-in-command of Estpla-32.

“We are currently using the UGV on patrols to identify and eliminate both technical and procedural bottlenecks, and test different ways of using it and integrating it into our tactics.”

In the past, the THeMIS UGV has been used to transport equipment that the unit in Mali needed both at and near their base. The vehicle is capable of transporting equipment such as water and ammunition.

Home to lava rock soil, loose sand and high temperatures that can reach 50 degrees in the shade, Mali is an especially tough region, Milrem notes. These conditions put the UGV’s capabilities, and other technology available to units like radio stations and GPS equipment, to the test.

The UGV proved to be reliable in these conditions despite the difficult circumstances.

“Mali is the perfect place to test new technology. In addition to supporting our troops, we have received a great deal of valuable feedback from Operation Barkhane on the reliability, ease of use and tactical use of the vehicle,” says General (Ret) Riho Terras, president of the Defence Division of Milrem Robotics.

The information obtained in Mali will be used to continue the development and improvement of the UGV to make it an even better tool for dismounted units.