Japan selects Rheinmetall Mission Master SP and Milrem THeMIS UGV for autonomous trials.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has launched new unmanned ground vehicle trials featuring the Rheinmetall Mission Master SP and Milrem THeMIS UGV.

On October 3, 2025, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) announced the start of new unmanned ground vehicle trials, selecting Rheinmetall’s Mission Master SP and Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS for evaluation. The autonomous systems are being tested for reconnaissance, logistics, and troop support roles, reflecting Japan’s strategy to advance military robotics, reduce personnel exposure, and align with global defense trends in autonomous ground systems.
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If combined, Rheinmetall’s Mission Master SP could provide forward surveillance and discrete support while Milrem's THeMIS UGV performed heavier tasks in depth. (Picture source: Japanese MoD)

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has begun verification trials of two different unmanned ground vehicles, Rheinmetall Canada’s Mission Master SP and Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS, in order to assess their basic performance and concepts of operation. The stated objective of these trials is to strengthen unmanned asset defense capability as part of a wider defense build-up, while reducing personnel losses during operations and enabling longer-duration activity across multiple mission types. Both systems are being tested with the expectation of accelerating consideration for a future acquisition program. The trials highlight how the two platforms could be complementary, as the Mission Master SP offers a compact, low-signature electric solution optimized for close support to troops, while the THeMIS provides a larger tracked vehicle designed for sustained operations and high payload capacity.

The Rheinmetall Mission Master family consists of a line of autonomous uncrewed ground vehicles developed to support military forces in dangerous missions and challenging environments. Its roles include reconnaissance, surveillance, tactical overwatch, fire support, medical evacuation, CBRN detection, communications relay, and logistics transport. All vehicles in this family are already networked with Rheinmetall’s soldier system and command-and-control software, which are designed to integrate into a customer’s existing battle management system. The Mission Master SP, which is the variant being evaluated in Japan, has a compact profile and uses an electric motor to minimize its acoustic and thermal signatures. This makes it suitable for forward resupply missions, silent watch operations, and carriage of light payloads such as sensors or small weapons systems in close proximity to dismounted infantry.

The Mission Master SP is built on a modular architecture that allows payload modules to be swapped within minutes, enabling a single platform to transition between cargo transport, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, or NBC detection tasks. Its autonomous mobility is provided by Rheinmetall’s Path A-kit, which allows for follow-me, convoy, and waypoint navigation modes. Kinetic operations remain under direct human control, ensuring that a human operator authorizes all weapons use. The SP is amphibious, with a water speed of about 6 km/h, and on land it can reach up to 40 km/h without a heavy load. This performance allows the vehicle to transport supplies or sensors in multiple environments while maintaining a low signature and supporting troops across short and medium-range movements.

Operational use of the Mission Master SP has already been demonstrated internationally. In the United States, the vehicle was tested with a Fieldranger remote weapon station during a live-fire demonstration, and later used in Marine Corps experimentation during Talisman Sabre and Apollo Shield exercises. In these activities, it performed casualty evacuation, resupply, autonomous marches up to 50 kilometers, and operated in urban terrain scenarios. Following these results, six units were ordered for the III Marine Expeditionary Force. In Europe, the SP was tested in Sweden, where it fired Thales FZ275 70 mm laser-guided rockets at targets 4 kilometers away during a demonstration attended by several NATO countries.

In the United Kingdom, multiple Mission Master SPs have been procured under the Robotic Platoon Vehicles program in both cargo and surveillance configurations, and Rheinmetall has demonstrated integration with Spanish firm Escribano’s Guardian 2.0 remote weapon station and OTEOS sensor system. The platform has also been shown carrying a Quaze drone swarm tactical overwatch system to provide UAV recharging and surveillance support. The broader Mission Master family includes additional variants that expand endurance and payload. The Mission Master CXT combines diesel and electric propulsion, with amphibious capability and payload capacity of up to 1000 kilograms, achieving a range of 450 kilometers, including 50 kilometers in battery-only mode.

The Minion Master is small enough for carriage in CH-47, CH-53, and C-130 aircraft. The Mission Master XT variant further increases range to 750 kilometers, has an integrated battery for silent watch lasting several hours, and can carry heavier sensors or weapons such as 12.7 mm machine guns, grenade launchers, or air defense systems. Both models demonstrate how the Mission Master ecosystem provides scalability from stealth-oriented light support to heavier logistical or fire support missions, maintaining the same autonomy suite and command integration.

Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS follows a different approach, built around a tracked chassis and a modular mission bay. The THeMIS 4.5 measures approximately 2.47 meters long, 2.04 meters wide, and 1.17 meters high, with a curb weight of 1630 kilograms and a payload capacity rated at 750 kilograms, extendable up to 1200 kilograms. The vehicle is powered by a hybrid propulsion system combining a diesel engine with an electric generator, providing a hybrid run time of up to 15 hours. It has a maximum speed of 20 km/h, can climb 60 percent grades, handle 30 percent side slopes, cross 90-centimeter gaps, and maintain 60-centimeter ground clearance. Its control systems allow line-of-sight operation up to 1.5 kilometers, with encrypted radio links and frequency-hopping capability. Additional features include LiDAR sensors, cameras with 1080p resolution, towing capacity at speeds up to 80 km/h, and multiple lighting options, including infrared.

The THeMIS platform has been developed for multi-role missions, with variants covering cargo, combat, intelligence and reconnaissance, and explosive ordnance disposal. It has an open architecture designed to simplify the integration of third-party payloads. Compatible systems demonstrated include FN Herstal’s deFNder Medium, Kongsberg’s Protector RS4 and RS6, Leonardo’s Hitrole Light, Escribano’s Guardian 2.0, MSI-DS’s Terrahawk, EOS’s R400S, ST Engineering’s Adder, and various anti-tank guided missile and loitering munition launchers. Operational history includes deployments in Mali under Operation Barkhane and in Ukraine for logistics and casualty evacuation. Nineteen nations operate the system, eight of them NATO members, highlighting its widespread adoption.

The THeMIS has also been exported to the UAE, where 40 units were ordered in 2024 following EDGE’s acquisition of a majority stake in Milrem. A UK-specific variant is being developed with MSI-Defence Systems, Overwatch Aerospace, and Pearson Engineering to integrate unmanned ground and aerial systems. In the United States, the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory has acquired THeMIS for Arctic trials, expanding its evaluation under extreme climate conditions.

For Japan, the comparative evaluation of these two platforms is focused on their complementary characteristics. The Mission Master SP is optimized for stealth, modularity, and seamless network integration, making it suitable for reconnaissance, light resupply, and close support to infantry. The THeMIS, in contrast, offers tracked cross-country mobility, long hybrid endurance, and heavier payload carriage for sustained logistics, casualty evacuation, and heavier weapon integrations. Both share modular architecture and autonomy systems that allow mission-specific configurations while keeping a human operator in control of armed functions. If combined, the SP could provide forward surveillance and discrete support while the THeMIS performed heavier tasks in depth, creating a layered unmanned support structure aligned with Japan’s goal of reducing risk to personnel and sustaining long-duration operations in diverse conditions.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.