As 2025 unfolds, the militaries of the world are quietly entering a new era of robotic warfare.
What until recently was the stuff of science fiction – or at best R&D papers – is now the stuff of operational testing and even real-life deployment.
For electronics suppliers, component developers, sensor firms, AI startups, and systems integrators, now could be a crucial window of opportunity.
With unmanned systems likely to become core elements of defence architectures, firms are jostling to position themselves to provide rugged, secure, interoperable technologies to defence buyers in the hope of becoming their partners of choice in the robot-driven battlefields of tomorrow.
Perhaps the most visible advance in the field this year has been the wide deployment of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in Ukraine as part of the ongoing war with Russia.
On Ukrainian frontlines robotic tanks weighing 1,600 kilograms, powered by hybrid diesel-electric engines are already busy transporting ammunition and supplies and evacuating injured soldiers.
The tanks, known as THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System), which are manufactured by Estonian defence technology company Milrem Robotics, are able to act autonomously and can also be controlled remotely.
The machines, which are capable of carrying payloads of 1,200 kilos, have a top speed of 12 miles per hour and can operate without refuelling for up to 15 hours.
Each THeMIS is a 2-ton tracked platform built around a hybrid-electric powertrain and modular electronic architecture. It combines ruggedised computing cores, redundant drive-by-wire systems, and a multi-layered control network linking navigation, communication, and payload management subsystems. The onboard electronics include high-bandwidth data buses, EMC-hardened power converters, and multi-sensor fusion units that merge video, lidar, GPS, and inertial measurements into a single tactical picture.
Milrem’s engineers say that even “minor” electronic components, such as fuses and converters, require military-grade reliability and vibration resistance. The company’s Mechatronics Department integrates bespoke printed circuit boards (PCBs) for sensor and motor control, while paying particular attention to electromagnetic compatibility — essential in high-noise, tracked-vehicle environments.
The Ukrainian military has been operating 15 of these machines since 2022 and used them in its first entirely robotic assault near Kharkiv at the start of the year which also made use of dozens of military drones.
Earlier this month Milrem, announced a Dutch-led donation initiative had enabled the company to deliver more than 150 more THeMIS machines to the Ukrainian Army.
“The THeMIS platform has already demonstrated its value under combat conditions, and we believe this contribution will materially strengthen Ukraine’s defence capability,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics.
VDL Defentec will build a dedicated final assembly line in Born, the Netherlands, to scale up production.
At the DSEI 2025 defence expo in London, Milrem also showcased new combat variants of THeMIS: modular configurations incorporating weapon systems, anti-air capabilities, and sensor payloads.
A newly launched software suite, ARCOS (Autonomous & Robotic Control Suite), enables synchronized control, mission planning and real-time management of multiple UGVs and payloads from a unified interface.
Elsewhere, Milrem has integrated the BURIA remote weapon station (40 mm automatic grenade launcher) with THeMIS, tested in live-fire trials in Ukraine. The company touted precise engagement at distances up to 1,100 meters, keeping operators at safe standoff distances.
And Milrem is not the only firm building military robots right now.
Over the past several years, the US Department of Defence has increasingly deployed robot dogs and other autonomous ground vehicles within its units.
Boston Dynamics, an American engineering firm, was among the earliest innovators in this field. In 2005, it introduced “BigDog,” a four-legged robotic prototype developed in partnership with NASA and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The company later released “Spot,” its first robot dog designed for commercial use, with each unit costing about $75,000. Initially intended for industrial and warehouse settings, Spot gained recognition for its efficiency in inspecting construction sites and collecting vital safety data.
Other countries including France and the Netherlands have also made use of Spot robots although Boston Dynamics states in its terms of service that it does not allow the robots to be used to harm people.
This month US automotive giant AM General, the company best known for making Humvee military vehicles and industrial conglomerate Textron, announced a collaboration with Carnegie Robotics to develop a modular autonomous ground vehicle for the US Army’s Medium Modular Equipment Transport (M-MET) programme.
The makers said the vehicle, which will be larger than the eight-wheeled robotic Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) vehicles currently used to carry loads of equipment and supplies around battlefields but smaller than large logistic trucks, aimed to “bridge the logistics divide by autonomously delivering multi-class supplies and operational energy between Brigade Support Areas (BSAs) and dispersed forward units.”
It is expected to leverage autonomy, hybrid powertrain, drive-by-wire controls, and modular payloads to transport supplies and support operations under enemy fire.
The vehicle features a rugged, all-terrain chassis paired with advanced suspension and a hybrid-electric powerpack capable of delivering more than 30 kW of exportable power — enabling both autonomous logistics and operational energy support. Its drive-by-wire controls, integrated autonomy suite, and Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA)-compliant network facilitate adaptability and rapid integration of mission payloads.
“This collaboration combines the industrial strength of AM General, the autonomy expertise of Carnegie Robotics, and Textron Systems’ proven experience in vehicle control and payload integration to deliver a disruptive capability to the U.S. Army,” said John Chadbourne, AM General EVP of Business Development. “This new collaboration is a testament to the defence industrial base’s commitment to support the Army’s evolving needs.”
Meanwhile in China, another robotics specialist Unitree Robotics, has been establishing itself as one of the world’s leading suppliers of legged robots. The company, whose quadruped robots bear a striking similarity to those made famous by Boston Dynamics but often at a fraction of the price.
Unitree Robotics and Boston Dynamics both produce advanced quadruped robots, yet their computing architectures reflect differing priorities. Boston Dynamics’ Spot integrates a powerful onboard computer with multiple CPUs and GPUs to support real-time sensor fusion, complex motion planning, and AI-driven autonomy. Its system processes inputs from LiDAR, stereo cameras, and inertial sensors, enabling precise navigation and dynamic obstacle avoidance, even in unpredictable terrain.
In contrast, Unitree’s robot dogs—such as the Go1 and B2—use more cost-efficient embedded processors, typically ARM-based, paired with edge-computing modules for vision and control. While less computationally intensive, this design prioritises efficiency, affordability, and modular scalability. Unitree’s architecture allows integration with third-party AI platforms or cloud-based processing, catering to research and commercial users seeking flexibility over raw performance. Unitree’s quadruped robots are being sold at less than $3,000, compared to the $75,000 price tag for Spot.
Earlier this year, China’s military released a video showcasing its latest Unitree GO2 model Unitree military robots in action, entitled “The robot dog’s time to kill has come,” showing a robot dog with an automatic rifle mounted on its back.
As 2025 progresses, the rapid deployment of autonomous systems—from Ukraine’s THeMIS UGVs to the US Army’s robotic logistics vehicles—underscores how quickly robots are becoming a staple of modern warfare. And with China now publicly showcasing armed quadruped robots, questions are emerging that go beyond strategy and logistics: is this the shape of combat in the years ahead? For militaries, policymakers, and civilians alike, the rise of lethal autonomous machines poses profound ethical, tactical, and strategic dilemmas—one thing is clear: the battlefield is changing, and fast.
