on this week's issue of awst
Singapore also continues to work on its indigenous UAV. The system
is envisioned as a 15-ton gross takeoff weight design, with a
40-meter wingspan, a 2,000kg. payload, and 50 kilowatts of power to
drive sensors, says Singapore's chief defense scientist, Lui Pao
Chuen. Two versions are being conceived of: an intelligence
collector and an airborne early warning configuration. The system
would exist in manned and unmanned versions. Singapore has been
working with Scaled Composites to devise the system, which still
hasn't flown, but industrial relationship may changed. Singapore is
referring to the system as a low-altitude, long-enduring endurance,
as compared to higher altitude satellites.
Additionally, Singapore's ST Aero has built a stealthy-looking,
80-kg UAV, the MAV-1. The system is slated to fly in the coming
weeks, say company officials. The vehicle is a test asset aimed at
creating a market for a larger reconnaissance vehicle. Flight
testing of the UCAV-like design should run most of the year.
