Singapore Airshow 2024: ST Engineering debuts its DrN-35DH multirotor …

DrN-35DH hexacopter at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Prasobh Narayanan)

Singapore's ST Engineering displayed its DrN-35DH unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.

The DrN-35DH is an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)-capable hexacopter and is a larger derivative of the company's in-production DrN-15 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

According to the company, the DrN-35DH features improved safety and precise location-tracking capability compared with the DrN-15 enabling the UAS to operate in ‘high-risk' or densely populated environments.

The UAS features six arms primarily constructed of carbon fibre composite material. The propulsion system comprises six electric motors mounted at the end of each arm and each motor drives a two-bladed composite propeller.

The UAS has a maximum take-off weight of 37 kg, a maximum payload capacity of 5 kg, a maximum endurance of 37 minutes, and a maximum range of 15 km. The UAS can fly up to a maximum speed of 10 m/s and can sustain flying in windspeeds up to 10 m/s.

In terms of its payload, the UAS carries two cameras, a primary electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) camera mounted at the rear and a backup camera mounted at the front. The backup camera is primarily to aid in landing operations in case the primary camera fails. Both the cameras are gimbal mounted. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor is also mounted at the front of the UAS as an anti-collision system.

The development of the DrN-35DH UAS began in 2016 and it was given a permit to operate in beyond-visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) mode in 2019. The permit was the first to be obtained by ST Engineering and the first in Singapore.