On Monday, October 6, 2025, the Estonian company Milrem Robotics (part of the Emirati defense group EDGE) announced that it had signed a contract with the Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT) of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the delivery of more than 150 THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System) unmanned tracked ground vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Photos: Milrem Robotics
The donation was first announced in September, but the official agreement was signed on Monday in the presence of Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Dutch company VDL Defentec in Born, Limburg. The location was not coincidental — under a separate arrangement, a significant portion of these vehicles will be assembled and delivered in cooperation with VDL Defentec.
VDL Defentec is launching a dedicated final assembly line for the THeMIS vehicles at its Born facility. The assembly setup has been designed for scalability, enabling continued production and delivery to meet future demand.
Milrem Robotics will provide comprehensive training for Ukrainian operators and technical personnel to ensure smooth deployment and field maintenance support.
“We are honoured to lead this project in partnership with the Netherlands and VDL. The THeMIS platform has already demonstrated its value under combat conditions, and we believe this contribution will materially strengthen Ukraine’s defence capability,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
“This initiative highlights the strength of cooperation between partners in Europe’s defence industry and their ability to scale up and contribute directly to international security. Establishing the assembly line in Born supports this donation and creates a foundation for future production and innovation between Milrem Robotics and VDL in the Netherlands,” said Willem van der Leegte, CEO of VDL Groep.
Additionally, the Dutch Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Tulip Tech for the production of battery systems and DeltaQuad for the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The THeMIS was the first unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) in its class to be used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the war against Russia. It is now widely regarded as the most effective unmanned ground system operating in Ukraine (two units have been lost: one destroyed, one captured by Russian forces).
- On May 20, 2025, the French company CNIM Systèmes Industriels ordered six THeMIS units, which will be adapted into the ROCUS (Route Clearance Unmanned Systems) engineering configuration.
- On November 29, 2022, the German company KNDS Deutschland (then KMW) ordered 14 THeMIS vehicles configured for CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) and combat engineering missions.
- In late August 2022, Milrem Robotics delivered a THeMIS CASEVAC unit to a Ukrainian humanitarian organization.
More recently, on August 12, 2025, Milrem Robotics announced that, through cooperation with the Ukrainian company Frontline, it had developed a new THeMIS Combat variant, equipped with the Buria remote-controlled weapon station.
THeMIS vehicles are now part of robotics programs or active service in 19 countries, making them the most widely used UGV in their weight class.
We are excited to deliver more than 150 THeMIS #UGVs to Ukraine under a Dutch-led defence support package, reinforcing Europe’s commitment to security. The vehicles will be assembled in collaboration with VDL Defentec in the Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/zpBr4f4x0N
— Milrem Robotics (@MilremR) October 6, 2025
Bij VDL in Born is de productie voor defensie van start!
We tekenen 3 overeenkomsten: voor voertuigen (Milrem), batterijen (Tulip Tech) en drones (DeltaQuad).
Dit nieuwe vlaggenschip van onze defensie-industrie is in volle vaart. Een impuls voor onze veiligheid én economie! pic.twitter.com/7vVMuD2cfK
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) October 6, 2025
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