Singapore is to equip six army units with the Singapore Technologies Aerospace Skyblade III unmanned air vehicle, with the UAV to become operational by the end of the year.
Singapore's defence ministry says 44 operators have been trained. "Work to bring the Skyblade III's advanced capabilities to the battalion scouts and the brigade reconnaissance surveillance targeting acquisition teams started in 2009," it adds.
The Skyblade III is a lightweight, man-portable UAV designed for launch and recovery by soldiers in the field. With a maximum take-off weight of 5kg (11lb), the complete system can be carried in two backpacks weighing 20kg each.
The defence ministry says procedures and tactics were developed for the UAV through the use of the Israel Aerospace Industries Bird Eye 410 and Elbit Systems Skylark systems, which enabled it to bring the mini-UAV capability to units within a short timeframe.
The battery-powered UAV can be set up in 20min and launched by hand or with bungee assistance. For landing the UAV stalls, and an airbag is deployed from its belly to cushion the touchdown.
The Skyblade III has a range of 4.3nm (8km) and an endurance of 1h. Cameras provide visibility in both day and night conditions, with visual data streamed directly to a laptop computer.
According to ST Aero, the Skyblade III can be used for general surveillance, early warning, mission monitoring and battle damage assessment.
ST Aero is also working on the significantly larger Skyblade IV, which was unveiled at the Asian Aerospace show in 2006. The company says the catapult-launched Skyblade IV has a maximum take-off weight of 70kg and can carry a payload of 12kg. Endurance is 6-12h, with a range of 54nm.
Source: Flight International
