• Milrem Robotics and Hanwha are expanding their cooperation in unmanned ground systems, with the THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) at the centre of new initiatives in South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Hanwha has acquired two THeMIS platforms for separate initiatives in South Korea and Australia, while the companies’ cooperation also establishes a framework for broader THeMIS activities in Australia and New Zealand.

In South Korea, a THeMIS UGV will be used in multiple R&D projects in which Hanwha is participating. The platform will contribute to the development and evaluation of advanced unmanned and autonomous ground capabilities.

In Australia and New Zealand, the cooperation will establish a framework for Hanwha to market, pursue local production, sell and sustain THeMIS locally. This includes developing an Australian supply chain, building local maintenance and upgrade capabilities, and integrating payloads and subsystems to meet the specific requirements of regional customers.

Milrem Robotics will contribute localisation planning, technology transfer, technical know-how and engineering expertise to enable these activities.

“Together with Hanwha, we are creating a strong foundation for expanding unmanned and autonomous capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics. “THeMIS provides a proven and highly adaptable unmanned platform, while Hanwha brings significant local industrial capabilities, market knowledge and expertise in the development and support of advanced defence systems. By combining these strengths, we can address regional requirements locally and build the capabilities needed to integrate, produce and sustain these systems in the region.”

The cooperation also includes an option to integrate Milrem Robotics’ Intelligent Function Integration Kit (MIFIK) with Hanwha’s unmanned and manned platforms. MIFIK enables the addition of capabilities such as autonomous navigation and mission execution to different types of vehicles.

The new initiatives build on existing cooperation between Hanwha and Milrem Robotics. The companies have previously agreed to cooperate on ground robotics initiatives in South Korea and are jointly pursuing Romania’s unmanned ground vehicle programme, including opportunities for localised production and industrial participation.