Estonian-made combat robots in Ukraine now come with Starlink

MILAN — Estonian-made THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles operating in Ukraine will feature Starlink satellite connectivity, enabling their operation from thousands of kilometers away, the robot manufacturer announced on Wednesday.

A vehicle equipped to that effect, made by United Arab Emirates-owned and Estonia-based Milrem Robotics, will be unveiled at the company’s during Eurosatory 2024 trade show that begins next week, according to a company statement,

Specifically, a THeMIS variant devoted to cargo transportation will feature the Starlink hookup, a constellation of internet satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Milrem has given more than dozen THeMIS vehicles to Ukrainian forces.

The Estonian company sought out the expertise of the Dutch datalinks firm AEC Skyline for the integration of the vehicles’ latest add-on feature, Milrem said.

“By leveraging satellite connectivity, the THeMIS robotic vehicle, which is currently assisting Ukrainian soldiers in the war with Russia, can seamlessly transmit data, receive commands, and relay vital information in real-time, regardless of its location on the battlefield,” the Milrem statement reads.

Using the Starlink satellite system requires a ground terminal, which SpaceX started shipping to Kyiv only hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the BBC. As of June 2023, the British broadcaster reported that there were tens of thousands of terminals in Ukraine, including 500 bought by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Starlink satellites operate in low-Earth orbit at less than 600 kilometers (370 miles) above the earth, according to the company. Being closer to Earth translates into better performance for the system’s intended applications.

Last month, Russian Telegram channels published photos of what they alleged showed a badly damaged, captured model of the combat robot. A Milrem spokesman declined at the time to comment, stating only that the company was aware of the images.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——爱沙尼亚机器人制造商周三宣布，在乌克兰运行的爱沙尼亚制造的THeMIS无人地面车辆将配备星链卫星连接，使其能够在数千公里之外进行操作。

据该公司声明，由阿联酋所有、总部位于爱沙尼亚的 Milrem Robotics 公司制造的一款具备此功能的车辆，将在下周开幕的 2024 年欧洲防务展 (Eurosatory 2024) 上亮相。

具体来说，一款专用于货物运输的THeMIS衍生型号将配备星链（Starlink）连接系统，星链是由埃隆·马斯克的SpaceX公司运营的互联网卫星星座。Milrem公司已向乌克兰军队交付了十几辆THeMIS运输机。

Milrem表示，这家爱沙尼亚公司寻求荷兰数据链路公司AEC Skyline的专业知识，以整合车辆的最新附加功能。

“通过利用卫星连接，目前正在协助乌克兰士兵与俄罗斯作战的THeMIS机器人车辆可以无缝传输数据、接收命令并实时传递重要信息，无论其在战场上的位置如何，”Milrem的声明写道。

据英国广播公司（BBC）报道，使用星链卫星系统需要地面终端，SpaceX公司在2022年2月俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后仅数小时就开始向基辅运送地面终端。截至2023年6月，BBC报道称，乌克兰境内已有数万个地面终端，其中包括美国国防部购买的500个。

据该公司称，星链卫星运行于距离地球不到600公里（370英里）的近地轨道。距离地球越近，系统在预期应用中的性能就越好。

上个月，俄罗斯Telegram频道发布了一些照片，据称照片显示的是一台严重受损的缴获型战斗机器人。当时，Milrem公司的一位发言人拒绝置评，仅表示公司已知晓这些照片。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。