“How do we achieve overmatch in combat power; you need to utilise everything at your disposal to win,” said Patrick Choy, ST Electronics executive vice president at a media briefing ahead of the Singapore Airshow. ST Engineering is the largest exhibitor with over 100 products shown, many of which it claims to be innovative and based on ‘smart’ technology.
“It is our uniqueness that is important,” said Choy. “ We are not a big company by international standard but we do a lot of things in commercial business and defence.”
Choy said that the company, which will celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year, is exhibiting a wide range of military and some civil ‘innovative solutions’ during the show. These are divided into a number of specific areas: aviation, smart combat and smart city.
One of the main developments being shown was a future soldier concept. A soldier will showcase ST Kinetics Personal Lightweight Armour Technology (PLATE) together with Personal Reinforced Outer Tactical Equipment Carrier (PROTEC). This provides an infantryman with body enhanced protection through the use of vacuum consolidation to strengthen the composite armour plates. PROTEC is a load bearing combat vest that is also provides the soldier with a cooling capability. This is all topped off by augmented reality glasses called Shielded Advanced Eyewear System (SHADES). These provide images containing navigation, identification and communication informa-tion as well as ballistic tracking.
If that were not enough, the soldier is also armed with ST Kinetics’ Bullpup Multirole Combat Rifle (BMCR) which is a wireless, digitised rifle which was unveiled at the last Singapore airshow in 2014.
Within the aviation sector it is showing a number of unmanned aerial vehicles including an Un-manned Hybrid Vehicle that the company states can be launched into the air then dive underwater. The stand also has a mock-up of a digital glass cockpit for a Lockheed Martin C-130 that the com-pany designed for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).
The unmanned theme is widespread on the ST Electronics stand, with a live demonstration area addressing the theme of disaster relief. The demonstration combines the capabilities of tri-rotor U-STAR-Y UAV to provide situational awareness and located casualties combined with the ground searching capability of a unmanned ground vehicle.
“Simulators will be big business going forward and most countries show that they want to make more use of simulation,” said Choy.
ST Electronics is known for aviation MRO, Satcom (it has just launched a satellite), and ammuni-tion (it even has a camera round mounted in a 40mm shell which can be shot into the air to provide immediate, local situational awareness). ST Marine also builds ships and in January completed delivery of the last of four Al-Ofouq class Patrol Vessels (PVs) to the Royal Oman Navy; the largest defence export contract in ST Engineering’s history.
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| Patrick Choy, ST Electronics executive vice president, displaying T Kinetics Personal Lightweight Armour Technology (PLATE) together with Personal Reinforced Outer Tactical Equipment Carrier (PROTEC). This is all topped off by augmented reality glasses called Shielded Advanced Eyewear System (SHADES). These provide images containing navigation, identification and communication informa-tion as well as ballistic tracking. If that were not enough, the soldier is also armed with ST Kinetics’ Bullpup Multirole Combat Rifle (BMCR) which is a wireless, digitised rifle. |
“It is our uniqueness that is important,” said Choy. “ We are not a big company by international standard but we do a lot of things in commercial business and defence.”
Choy said that the company, which will celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year, is exhibiting a wide range of military and some civil ‘innovative solutions’ during the show. These are divided into a number of specific areas: aviation, smart combat and smart city.
One of the main developments being shown was a future soldier concept. A soldier will showcase ST Kinetics Personal Lightweight Armour Technology (PLATE) together with Personal Reinforced Outer Tactical Equipment Carrier (PROTEC). This provides an infantryman with body enhanced protection through the use of vacuum consolidation to strengthen the composite armour plates. PROTEC is a load bearing combat vest that is also provides the soldier with a cooling capability. This is all topped off by augmented reality glasses called Shielded Advanced Eyewear System (SHADES). These provide images containing navigation, identification and communication informa-tion as well as ballistic tracking.
If that were not enough, the soldier is also armed with ST Kinetics’ Bullpup Multirole Combat Rifle (BMCR) which is a wireless, digitised rifle which was unveiled at the last Singapore airshow in 2014.
Within the aviation sector it is showing a number of unmanned aerial vehicles including an Un-manned Hybrid Vehicle that the company states can be launched into the air then dive underwater. The stand also has a mock-up of a digital glass cockpit for a Lockheed Martin C-130 that the com-pany designed for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).
The unmanned theme is widespread on the ST Electronics stand, with a live demonstration area addressing the theme of disaster relief. The demonstration combines the capabilities of tri-rotor U-STAR-Y UAV to provide situational awareness and located casualties combined with the ground searching capability of a unmanned ground vehicle.
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| T Electronics tri-rotor U-STAR-Y UAV |
“Simulators will be big business going forward and most countries show that they want to make more use of simulation,” said Choy.
ST Electronics is known for aviation MRO, Satcom (it has just launched a satellite), and ammuni-tion (it even has a camera round mounted in a 40mm shell which can be shot into the air to provide immediate, local situational awareness). ST Marine also builds ships and in January completed delivery of the last of four Al-Ofouq class Patrol Vessels (PVs) to the Royal Oman Navy; the largest defence export contract in ST Engineering’s history.
Andrew Drwiega