Estonian robotics and autonomous systems’ developer Milrem is rolling out its new, Type-X robotic combat vehicle as it has passed its initial mobility tests.
The Type-X robotic combat vehicle – or RCV for short – designed to support mechanised units was first announced in the summer of 2020. According to the company, it will become “an intelligent wingman to main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles capable of taking on the most dangerous tasks and positions, which result in lower lethality risk”.
“The Type-X will provide equal or overmatching firepower and tactical usage to a unit equipped with infantry fighting vehicles. It provides means to breach enemy defensive positions with minimal risk for own troops and replacing a lost RCV is purely a logistical nuance,” Kuldar Väärsi, the CEO of Milrem Robotics said in a statement.
The Type-X can be fitted with a cannon up to 50 millimetres. With up to a 30-millimetre cannon, the RCV is also airdroppable – the C-130J and the KC-390 aircraft can carry one Type-X, an A400M two and a C-17 five of them, the company asserted.
Lower costs
“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,” Milrem added.
The robotics developer also said the Type-X was “approximately three to four times lighter and its cost significantly lower than that of a conventional” infantry fighting vehicle.
Milrem Robotics is one of the leading robotics and autonomous systems developers in Europe, founded and headquartered in Estonia. Its flagship product, the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle, has altogether been delivered to nine countries of which seven are NATO members, including France, Norway, the UK and the US.
Cover: Milrem’s Type-X robotic combat vehicles.
