ST Aerospace Skyblade

The Skyblade is a man-portable mini-UAV developed by ST Aerospace, designed to be used by two operators for short-range battlefield or tactical reconnaissance and artillery spotting.

Models[]

• Skyblade I: Prototype version. Jointly developed with local research house (DSO National Laboratories)
• Skyblade II: Advance Production exploration, gasoline engine. Completely in-house developed. Didn't make it to full production.
• Skyblade III: Production version, all electric systems. Jointly developed with local research house (DSO National Laboratories)

The Skyblade III is designed for rapid 2-man deployment to support military and civilian applications. Developed for fully autonomous flight operations, it delivers quick and accurate intelligence in real-time to tactical commanders in the field.

• Skyblade IV: New tactical UAV

The SkyBlade IV is a completely new close-range tactical UAV unveiled in Asian Aerospace 2006, with a takeoff weight of 50 kilograms (110 pounds), including a 12 kilogram (26 pound) payload, a torpedo-like fuselage, a straight high-mounted wing with upturned wingtips, cruciform tailfins and a pusher prop driven by a piston engine with an endurance of up to 12 hours. The UAV carries an EO-IR sensor system with STA working on a miniaturized SAR. The vehicle is catapult launched and is recovered via parachutes or catch nets. Skyblade IV can perform a variety of operational missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, fire support and battle damage assessment.

Military use in Singapore[]

Since 2010, six army units of the Singapore Armed Forces are equipped with the Skyblade III variant for scout and field intelligence gathering. The units are: the 40th Battalion of the Singapore Armoured Regiment (40 SAR), 41 SAR, 2 Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR), 3 SIR, 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade (3 SIB), and the 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB).^[1]

Specifications[]

Skyblade II prototype

• Length: 1.2 m (4 ft)
• Wing span: 1.8 m (6 ft)
• Operating altitude: 458 m (1500 ft)
• Endurance (minimum) (depending on internal combustion or electric version): 1-2 hrs
• Stall speed: 18 kts (33 km/h)
• Maximum speed: 70 kts (130 km/h)
• Operating wind conditions: 20 kts (37 km/h)
• Head wind during take-off and landing: 15 kts (28 km/h)
• Cross wind during take-off and landing: 10 kts (18 km/h)
• Range: up to 8 km line-of-sight

Skyblade III specifications

• Length: 1.4 m
• Wing Span: 2.6 m
• Maximum Take Off Weight: 5.0 kg
• Endurance: >60 mins
• Operating Altitude: 300 - 1,500 ft (90- 460m)
• Maximum Speed: 35 kts
• Range: 8 km
• Flight Operation: Fully autonomous from launch to mission execution to recovery

Skyblade IV specifications

• Length: 2.4 m
• Wing Span: 3.7 m
• Maximum Take Off Weight: 70 kg
• Maximum Payload Weight: 12 kg
• Endurance: 6 – 12 hrs
• Maximum Altitude: 15,000 ft [4,572 m]
• Operating Speed: 50 -80 kts
• Range: 100 km
• Launch: Catapult
• Recovery: Parachute
• Flight Operation: Fully autonomous

References[]

• Skyblade III on the ST Aerospace web site
• Skyblade IV on the ST Aerospace web site
• Speech by Defence Minister on DSO joint collaboration Skyblade^{[permanent dead link]}
• DSO Technologies on DSO National Laboratories website
• DSO joint collaboration Skyblade^{[permanent dead link]}
• ST-DSO joint collaboration on Skyblade class UAVs

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