ST Engineering Debuts New Medium-lift UAS

Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering continues to expand its aerospace offerings with a renewed focus on artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the Singapore Airshow, the company noted that such multidisciplinary capabilities remain essential across various domains and acknowledged that these technologies are growing increasingly relevant on the battlefield.

An example of ST Engineering’s autonomous innovation is the DrN-600 uncrewed aerial system (UAS), its largest cargo drone to date, which has been in development for two years. The lift-and-cruise-configured aircraft features propeller-enabled thrust vectoring and swappable lithium-polymer batteries that provide a range of up to 120 kilometers. A 1.5-cubic-meter cargo space can accommodate up to 100 kilograms on standard pallets.

Flight testing of the DrN-600 will be conducted at an as-yet-unspecified location outside of Singapore, a company representative told AIN. Certification is targeted for 2028, building on operational experience accumulated since 2018 with smaller UAS variants. ST Engineering intends to gather additional insight and customer feedback from operational trials with the prototype prior to entry into service.

Other ST Engineering solutions making their debut at the Singapore Airshow this week include the AXIOS aerial exploitation and intelligence ordnance system, which is a drone-agnostic multi-payload delivery solution. ST Engineering has also developed the Gemini-X airborne tactical datalink system to enhance real-time situational awareness across multiple platforms.

With more countries augmenting their defense spending, “This is not just about procuring but also a greater focus on sovereign supply-chain resilience to be able to produce capabilities in-country,” explained Chua Jin Kiat, ST Engineering executive v-p, international defense business. However, he acknowledged that capacity constraints are affecting many industrial sectors.

Physical products aside, ST Engineering is investing heavily in AI, something Chua believes is “central to [its] core strategy.” To date, the company has trained more than 10,000 employees to be “future ready” for AI technologies, including 2025’s launch of a five-year, $250 million AI research and training program.

ST Engineering is also preparing to commence flight trials of the AirFish wing-in-ground-effect maritime vehicle in the second quarter, according to Kevin Chow, ST Engineering executive v-p and head of aerostructures and systems, commercial aerospace. While key parts of the inaugural vessel are coming together, an as-yet-undisclosed Singaporean ferry operator is set to become the launch operator in the third quarter, subject to the craft’s certification.