MILREM's Themis Unmanned Ground Vehicles in Mali

Wow.  First congrats to Estonia Ministry Of Defense for getting these into the field, but second.  Wow.  That puppy is big!  Its the size of an ATV.  I know Squad Support Vehicles are all the rage but damn!  Unless the price point is beyond attractive then we're looking at a vehicle that rivals a manned vehicles size, carry ability is probably similar and so is potential weapons load outs.

I want to be convinced that these UGVs are worth the effort (the Squad Support Vehicle Variants) but this seems a rather exotic piece of kit just to haul around some gear.

As things currently stand I think this is a quick work around to the age old problem that no one wants to tackle...Soldiers load and how to make it workable.  If we solve the loadout, without it being constantly increased then we'll be cooking with gas.

How do we do that?  Probably by following a true light infantry model.  It will require toughening up.  Moving light.  Freezing at night.  That old skool Ranger stuff that not even the Rangers follow anymore.

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— Samuel Bendett (@SamBendett) September 26, 2019