North American, Estonian Firms Develop Robotic Hybrid Engine Combat Vehicle

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Estonian defense contractor Milrem worked with North American and Norwegian suppliers to build an unmanned ground combat vehicle powered by a hybrid diesel-electric drive, the company announced in a statement.

"Milrem has developed the first fully modular unmanned ground vehicle with a hybrid diesel-electric drive, the THeMIS," the statement claimed. "A remotely operated robotic fire support and force protection system has been developed with KONGSBERG and QinetiQ North America (QNA)."

THeMIS is an acronymn for Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS). It consists of two tracked pods separated by a platform on which remotely controlled weapons or supplies can be placed.