What THeMIS, the robot received by Ukraine for which Russia is paying a $16,000 reward, is doing

Ukraine has begun receiving THeMIS war robots, built by Milrem Robotics of Estonia. They are so important that one organization in Russia is willing to pay $16,000 to anyone who captures one, according to Business Insider.

Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry Systems (THeMIS) is intended to support infantry. Ukraine will receive 14 vehicles by the end of the year, and the cost is being borne by the Estonian manufacturer and German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

The two most important tasks these robots perform are evacuating the wounded and clearing routes where mines or improvised explosive devices could be planted. Another task is the delivery of ammunition to the front line. Normally these operations are carried out by several people.

THeMIS robot can save many lives

Since the start of the war, about 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed or wounded, according to US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley. At the same time, more than 6,500 civilians have died and more than 10,000 have been wounded in the war, according to the UN. That’s why robots like THeMIS are essential to reduce the loss of life.

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After the first vehicles arrived in Ukraine, a think tank close to the Kremlin offered a substantial reward for capturing such a robot. The amount is more than a Russian soldier receives in a year.

“The conflict in Ukraine shows that modern warfare is inconceivable without the widespread use of unmanned vehicles,” said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. He admitted that Russia is lagging behind in this respect.

After the announcement of the amount offered by the Russian organization, a Milrem Robotics spokesman said, “We take the reward as a compliment.”

Ukraine receives the unarmed THeMIS variant, which can carry a 750-kilogram payload. There are versions equipped with machine guns or rocket launchers.

THeMIS – main technical characteristics:

Weight: 1,630 kg
Range: 1,5 km
Maximum speed: 20 km/h
Dimensions: length 240 cm, width 200 cm and height 115 cm
Control: remote human pilot

In addition to Estonia and Ukraine, the robot, launched in 2015, is also used by the Netherlands.

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