Estonia’s Milrem Robotics has unveiled its new robotic combat system at the IDEX 2021 show in Abu Dhabi.
For the first time, the company has showcased its Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle.
The Type-X RCV is designed to support mechanized units and will become an intelligent wingman to main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. It will be capable of taking on the most dangerous tasks and positions, resulting in lower lethality risk.
The robotic combat vehicle can be fitted with a cannon up to 50mm hence it will provide equal or overmatching firepower and tactical usage to a unit equipped with Infantry Fighting vehicles.
“The Type-X provides means to breach enemy defensive positions with minimal risk to own troops. If an RCV is lost, its replacement will become purely a logistical nuance, however, lives will have been saved,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
Milrem Robotics’ RCV will be equipped with intelligent functions such as follow-me, waypoint navigation and obstacle detection. Artificial Intelligence will also be part of the algorithms. However, the true innovation will be Milrem’s totally new and innovative approach to allow remote-controlled operations at higher speeds.
The vehicle’s maximum speed is 80 km/h on paved roads and 50 km/h off-road. The low weight of 12 tons of the Type-X and high power with efficient power management provide a superior terrain capability and its low height of 2.2 m and a rear engine provide low visual and heat signature.
To create the Type-X Milrem Robotics utilized its knowledge gained from developing its THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle, intended to support dismounted troops, that has been acquired by ten countries, including seven NATO members: France, Norway, the UK, Germany, Estonia, and the US.