Milrem-led team submits iMUGS proposal

A consortium led by Milrem Robotics has submitted its application to the European Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) for a multi-mission UGV capable of being teamed with manned and aerial vehicles.

The system will consist of a robust and modular UGV equipped with an electronic warfare resistant C2 and communications solution, and secure autonomous mobility software to enable the operator to simultaneously and safely control multiple land and air platforms.

The UGVs will be able to team with manned and aerial vehicles in order to provide flexibility, modularity and versatility for different missions; increase protection, sustainability and performance of military operations; and enhance situational awareness of ground forces.

The Integrated Modular Unmanned Ground System (iMUGS) project is being led by Estonia, with technical requirements agreed with Finland, Latvia, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain.

Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, said: ‘A number of European nations will start using unmanned vehicles in logistics and ISR roles, reducing the physical and cognitive load and increasing the safety of our troops.

‘It’s important that this new capability will be well integrated with existing capabilities and force structure. It’s equally important that these new unmanned systems are safe to use and cyber protected. This is exactly the scope that iMUGS is targeting.’

A Memorandum of Understanding for the cooperation has been signed by 14 parties: Milrem Robotics, GT Cyber Technologies, Safran Electronics & Defense, NEXTER Systems, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Diehl Defence, Bittium Wireless, Insta DefSec, (Un)Manned, dotOcean, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, GMV Aerospace and Defence, the Estonian Military Academy and Royal Military Academy of Belgium.