Milrem Robotics Led iMUGS Consortium Demonstrates Deployment of Unmanned Systems
The iMUGS Consortium, in charge of a 32,6 Million EUR project developing the European standard unmanned ground system (UGS), demonstrated how defence forces can use tactical 4G/5G communications networks and UGS' equipped with ISR and signal intelligence payloads, jammers, acoustic sensors, and various other technology to conduct missions.
The demonstration in Latvia was led by LMT, a member of the integrated Modular Unmanned Ground System (iMUGS) consortium, with the support of the project coordinator Milrem Robotics and featured an ensemble of different technology. Latvian National Armed Forces used two Milrem Robotics' THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) during two scenarios to display the benefits of teaming up manned units with unmanned systems.
One THeMIS UGV was equipped with an Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) payload, Signal Intelligence antenna (SIGINT) provided by The Electronic Communications Office of Latvia, Rheinmetall's Rapid Obscuring System (ROSY) Smoke Grenade Launcher, Bittium's Vehicular Software Defined Radios (Tough SDR Vehicular), and FN Herstal's deFNder Light Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The RWS integration was part of the demonstration but not of the iMUGS project itself.
The second THeMIS, used as a mule for transporting the squad's equipment, was equipped with Rantelon's Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Jammer and Bittium's Tough SDR Vehicular. The units and UGVs used Bittium's tactical communication network TAC WIN combined with LMT's commercial 4G and a tactical 5G-SA bubble provided by Bittium and Cumucore.
The iMUGS project was launched in 2020 to develop a modular, cyber-secure, and scalable architecture for hybrid manned-unmanned systems. Its goal is to standardize a Europe-wide ecosystem for ground platforms, command, control, and communication equipment, sensors, payloads, and algorithms. The system will use an existing UGV – Milrem Robotics' THeMIS – and a specific list of payloads.
