Ground Drone Shoots Bullets Like Crazy at Parked Vans During Live Fire Exercise

The entire idea of the exercise was to see how unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) could be integrated with a military operation. The pieces of hardware used during the mock battle were Milrem-made THeMIS tracked vehicles.

The scenario of the exercise was simple. An infantry company and artillery pieces were deployed in defensive positions to block the advance of a motorized enemy battalion. Being a simulated battle and all, the enemy battalion was not actually advancing, and their motorized hardware was nothing more than stationary white vans.

But that little fact does not take away how spectacular the whole thing looks (footage in the video attached below). Aside from the massive artillery pieces and machine guns firing live rounds, the Milrem robots played their part in an equally impressive manner.

Two UGVs were used for the task. The first was the THeMIS Combat Support Vehicle, equipped with a remotely operated 7,62 mm machine gun. It fired its bullets at the white vans like crazy and then moved to be used as casualty transport for wounded soldiers.

The second robot was the THeMIS Observe, equipped with a tethered drone. This one was kept further back, from where it deployed the drone to have a bird’s eye view of the battlefield.

The exercise took place in April, but it is only this week that Milrem released footage from the scene.

The THeMIS is tracked vehicle powered by a hybrid diesel-electric drive and can carry 750 kg (1,650 pounds) of payload. It can be configured as a cargo hauler, mortar carrier, medevac, or machine gun platform.

So far, this UGV is deployed in the armies of 11 countries, seven of them NATO members, including the United States.