BURIA RWS fitted to THeMIS UGV for live trials

In a recent demonstration in Ukraine, the BURIA remote weapon station (RWS), equipped with a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, was successfully integrated onto the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) according to a press release from Milrem dated August 12. This test, conducted under operationally relevant conditions, was a collaborative effort between Milrem Robotics and Ukrainian defence technology company Frontline, and reflects the growing importance that is being attached to uncrewed platforms in Ukraine.

The live-fire trials validated the system’s ability to accurately engage targets at a distance of up to 1,100 metres, all while keeping the human operator at a safe distance, the press release states. “This successful demonstration verifies the reliability and accuracy of the BURIA-THeMIS integration,” said Paul Clayton, Director of Industrial Partnerships at Milrem Robotics. “It highlights the expanding role of robotic platforms in improving tactical effectiveness and operator safety on the modern battlefield.”

The THeMIS Combat platform demonstrated its stability and target-tracking capabilities throughout the trial, confirming its effectiveness as a remotely operated fire support system and underscoring the UGV’s versatility in handling various kinetic payloads, the press release adds. Previous variants have carried the RS4 RWS from Kongsberg as well as the FZ602 rocket-launcher from Thales, for example. Further live-fire testing is planned to evaluate the system’s performance in a range of battlefield scenarios and to inform future upgrades.

“This is a vivid example of Ukrainian innovation combined with European engineering,” said Yevhen Tretiak, CEO of Frontline. Tretiak emphasised his company’s vision for the future of warfare: “At Frontline, we believe the future of modern warfare belongs to robotic systems… where drones perform defensive and offensive operations while soldiers remain out of harm’s way.” He added that the collaboration aims to “fast-track these technologies to the frontlines.”

UGVs like THeMIS are often controlled through a radio link, which effectively limits their range to the line of sight from the transmitting antenna. This is challenging for UGVs as they tend to be quite low to the ground and any buildings or obstacles between them and the user can result in a lost connection. Greater autonomy will help resolve this, enabling UGVs to navigate to a location independently of the user. But Milrem has also worked on a variant that can be controlled via Starlink, which would effectively make the range of the system unlimited in a similar fashion to larger aerial drones.

The BURIA grenade launcher RWS has been in service with Ukrainian units since January 2025 and is currently in serial production. The THeMIS UGV has been deployed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the war against Russia, where it has been recognised as a highly capable platform. It is often used as a logistics platform that supports infantry by carrying their equipment or delivering supplies to the frontline. Other THeMIS variants are also in use in the route and EOD clearance roles. Some of the UGVs have been financed by France and equipped with route clearance kits from CNIM Systèmes Industriels.

Calibre comment

Many European militaries have been experimenting with THeMIS since it was released, but few have pulled the trigger on large definitive orders. Ukraine is therefore an important proving ground for this type of capability and success there may pave the way for further orders of larger systems like Milrem’s Havoc 8×8. However, many questions remain over the use of these systems and their integration into a wider force. 

For example, the deployments at present effectively represent a one-to-one ratio of personnel to equipment. Every drone or UGV requires at least one human operator—and often more—to function. This means that uncrewed systems are not able to offer the scale and mass that armed forces are looking for them to deliver. This is acceptable with some things like an MQ-9B, which is designed to provide high quality ISTAR in which having several eyes on a subject is beneficial. But combat mass cannot be truly generated unless defence is able to move to the “one-to-many” paradigm, where one operator is able to control and coordinate the efforts of several systems. Companies like Arondite in the UK and L3 Harris are working on this challenge, and they are worth watching for their developments in defense autonomy.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on August 12, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Milrem, it shows the THeMIS with the BURIA RWS fitted.