SABER and Milrem Robotics partner to build robotic combat vehicles in UAE
SABER Investment and Milrem Robotics have begun collaborating in the development of robotic ground systems, in order to fulfil the requirements of customers in the United Arab Emirates. The collaboration between the two companies will involve technology transfer to the Emirates and the enhancement of local expertise in artificial intelligence and autonomous capabilities. Milrem Robotics is the leading European developer and manufacturer of ground robots. The company’s flagship product, the THeMIS UGV, was displayed at the UMEX 2020 exhibition in Abu Dhabi.
The collaboration between the two companies will involve technology transfer to the Emirates and enhancement of local expertise in AI and autonomous capabilities.
The system has been operational in Mali during the anti-insurgent operation Barkhane since early 2019 and has been delivered to France, US, UK, Netherlands and Norway. It is intended to provide combat support and carry supplies with an option to integrate additional kinetic or non-kinetic payloads.
Milrem Robotics is also leading a European consortium composed of several major defence, communication and cybersecurity companies and high technology SMEs established in the EU. The goal of the consortium is to develop a multi-mission unmanned ground system capable of being teamed with manned and aerial vehicles. The project is called MUGS and is being implemented for the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme.
“This collaboration is a direct result of the cooperation agreement that we signed last year,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, who was reflecting on the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Field of the Defence Industry that was signed between The Estonian Defence Industry Association and the Emirates Defence Companies Council at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference 2019.”
“That agreement created a solid basis by which the Estonian Defence Industry could further develop business cooperation in the United Arab Emirates and this is now evident because, in addition to developments regarding unmanned ground robots and autonomous navigation, the focus will be on wider integration of various manned and unmanned systems,” explained Kuldar Väärsi.
“We believe in the future of robotics and Milrem’s agnostic technology platform that can be scaled and integrated into any customer application and end user requirement” stated Shafik Nasser, CTO of SABER Investment.
