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).

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
• DSO Technologies on DSO National Laboratories website
• DSO joint collaboration Skyblade
• ST-DSO joint collaboration on Skyblade class UAVs