Photo: Milrem
Ever since the first satellites of the constellation were launched in 2019, Starlink has revolutionized many fields of human activity. And why wouldn't it, as it is essentially Internet beamed down from space…
At the time of writing the Starlink constellation comprises over 6,000 satellites, about half of the total number SpaceX plans to deploy for the system to be complete. The Internet it provides can now be accessed from 100 countries and, unhindered by ground logistics (it only needs a ground receiver some people like to call Dishy McFlatface), can allow internet acces in cars, planes, boats and, as of now, ground combat drones.
If you've been watching our coverage of military gear these past few years you may be familiar with something called the THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). Made in Europe by an Estonian company called Milrem, it's technically a family of military vehicles that can be used for anything from transport to actual combat.
The vehicles are powered by hybrid diesel-electric hardware, and they can carry stuff or people weighing as much as 750 kg (1,650 pounds). They can be weaponized and sent into combat to preserve troops.
The THeMIS is not autonomous, and needs to be controlled from a distance by trained crew. For that to happen, a connection must exist between the control station and the vehicle, and that generally limits the operational range of the drone. But not if you use the Starlink.
Milrem announced this week that it managed to integrate the Internet system into the THeMIS, giving the ground drone the ability to be "controlled over vast distances." How vast? Well, technically distance is virtually no longer an issue, as the Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) range for the drone grows in this manner to thousands of miles.
The Estonians used the Cargo CASEVAC version of the THeMIS to demo the use of Starlink in this manner, meaning the variant used to evacuate casualties. This drone is already deployed in Ukraine, where it helps clear the wounded of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Starlink allows the drone to "seamlessly transmit data, receive commands, and relay vital information in real-time, regardless of its location on the battlefield."
The UGV that uses Starlink is not currently in operation, but it will be shown for the first time during the Eurosatory 2024 defense show taking place in Paris, France, starting June 17. It's unclear yet if there are any actual plans to make the Starlink a standard component of the system, but chances are that's exactly what's going to happen.
More importantly, now that the doors to this hell are open, we should expect more and more military pieces of equipment to make use of the Starlink capabilities.
If you've been watching our coverage of military gear these past few years you may be familiar with something called the THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). Made in Europe by an Estonian company called Milrem, it's technically a family of military vehicles that can be used for anything from transport to actual combat.
The vehicles are powered by hybrid diesel-electric hardware, and they can carry stuff or people weighing as much as 750 kg (1,650 pounds). They can be weaponized and sent into combat to preserve troops.
The THeMIS is not autonomous, and needs to be controlled from a distance by trained crew. For that to happen, a connection must exist between the control station and the vehicle, and that generally limits the operational range of the drone. But not if you use the Starlink.
Milrem announced this week that it managed to integrate the Internet system into the THeMIS, giving the ground drone the ability to be "controlled over vast distances." How vast? Well, technically distance is virtually no longer an issue, as the Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) range for the drone grows in this manner to thousands of miles.
The Estonians used the Cargo CASEVAC version of the THeMIS to demo the use of Starlink in this manner, meaning the variant used to evacuate casualties. This drone is already deployed in Ukraine, where it helps clear the wounded of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Starlink allows the drone to "seamlessly transmit data, receive commands, and relay vital information in real-time, regardless of its location on the battlefield."
The UGV that uses Starlink is not currently in operation, but it will be shown for the first time during the Eurosatory 2024 defense show taking place in Paris, France, starting June 17. It's unclear yet if there are any actual plans to make the Starlink a standard component of the system, but chances are that's exactly what's going to happen.
More importantly, now that the doors to this hell are open, we should expect more and more military pieces of equipment to make use of the Starlink capabilities.
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