Ground drones for Ukraine: Milrem Robotics and VDL Defentec start Themis production in Born

In Born in the Netherlands, Milrem Robotics and Dutch company VDL Defentec have officially opened a production line for ground drones: it builds the Themis unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). At the opening ceremony, the Dutch government received the first Themis vehicles produced in the country, which it is passing on to Ukraine.

The new line is to support a delivery to Ukraine financed by the Netherlands: more than 100 unmanned ground vehicles of this type are planned. The deliveries are coordinated by the Dutch subsidiary of the Estonian manufacturer together with VDL Defentec.

Flexibility was the priority for the final assembly line at the Born plant: if necessary, capacity can be ramped up quickly and deliveries accelerated. A press release states: "In addition to supporting Ukraine, the new production capacity lays the foundation for long-term cooperation between Milrem Robotics and VDL Defentec while strengthening Europe's defence industrial capacity".

Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, put the step into context: "The opening of this production line and the handover of the first Themis vehicles manufactured in the Netherlands mark an important milestone in our cooperation with the Dutch government and VDL Defentec. It shows that the European defence industry is able to rapidly increase its production capacity and provide Ukraine with significant capabilities". About the partner, he said: "This cooperation with VDL is therefore an excellent fit, as the company has solid industrial scaling capabilities to supply the European market with Milrem products."

Ground drones with operational experience since 2022

Themis is intended to relieve infantry units – in logistics and reconnaissance, combat support and other combat tasks. The new vehicles complement the THeMIS platforms that Ukraine has been using since 2022 and that have proven reliable and effective there under combat conditions. Currently, 20 countries use the platform or have integrated it into robotics programmes; no other UGV in its class is as widespread worldwide.

For Willem van der Leegte, CEO of VDL Groep, industrial cooperation in Europe is the focus: "The handover of the first THeMIS vehicles produced at our plant in Born shows that European companies can work together to build new production capacity quickly and support international security efforts. We are proud of our cooperation with Milrem Robotics, and the delivery of the first Themis vehicles manufactured in the Netherlands is an important success for this partnership."

Beyond Themis, Milrem Robotics is working on the Havoc robotic combat vehicle, the Vector unmanned ground vehicle and several autonomous functions, such as Arcos, a command and control system. The company is also known for leading Imugs, a European defence development programme under the umbrella of the EDIDP; the follow-on project Imugs2 is currently being prepared.