SINGAPORE — Among a wide array of aerial weapons on display at the Singapore Airshow, attendees can see an outlier at ST Engineering’s colossal stand: an unmanned ground vehicle equipped with a multirotor drone.
The Taurus is the local technology company’s latest remote-operated product, shown for the first time publicly.
The firm completed development of the four-wheel drive electric vehicle last year, but does not have a launch customer, hence its unveiling at the air show this week, a company representative told Defense News on the condition of anonymity.
ST Engineering says the robot can be used for surveillance, casualty evacuation, logistics transport and material handling. The representative said the surveillance configuration has attracted the most interest. For material handling, the firm would fit the vehicle with a robotic arm.
The version at the show featured the company’s DrN-15 multirotor drone, which can fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight. The drone received approval for flight by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
When operating in fully electric mode, it can reach distances of about 19 miles and has a base weight of approximately 3,527 pounds.
The representative said the Taurus is useful for manned-unmanned teaming, such as operating alongside the firm’s own eight-wheel drive Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle, also launched at the show.
ST Engineering recently doubled down on efforts to present Singapore-made and -designed autonomous ground vehicles, including the Hunter tracked platform, developed as a private venture by the company.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.