ST Engineering Unveils Hybrid-Electric Fighting Vehicle

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW: ST Engineering Unveils Hybrid-Electric Fighting Vehicle

Josh Luckenbaugh photo

SINGAPORE — Singapore-based ST Engineering has launched a new infantry fighting vehicle the company believes will be “the world’s first hybrid-electric 35-ton armored fighting vehicle.”

The Singapore Army has been operating the company’s Terrex line of infantry fighting vehicles since 2009, and at the Singapore Airshow’s pre-show media conference on Feb. 18 ST Engineering unveiled the newest edition to the family, the Terrex s5.

Chua Jin Kiat, chairman of ST Engineering’s steering committee for the 2024 Singapore Airshow, said the 8×8 vehicle is “optimized from the ground up,” with the ability to harness both “current and next-generation digital architectures” and capable of both conventional and hybrid-electric drive. With conventional drive, the Terrex s5 has a power output of 711 horsepower and a range of 1,000 kilometers, but with the hybrid option range extender featuring a lithium-ion battery, the platform can reach 1,200 horsepower and possesses 50 kilometers of silent range, according to a company fact sheet.

The company’s hybrid-electric drive kit — which can be integrated onto other platforms as well — provides additional power for digital capabilities such as enhanced situational awareness and the open architecture to introduce AI-driven software payloads, Kiat said. Other benefits include increased operating range, improved fuel efficiency, extended auxiliary system power capacity, extended silent watch and the ability to conduct last-mile stealth operations, he added.

Kok Ann Lim, ST Engineering’s president of land systems, said the “s5” moniker comes from the vehicle’s “five key characteristics”: smartness, superiority, sustainability, survivability and serviceability.

With regards to smartness and superiority, the Terrex s5 is “easy to operate, maintain and train,” with the ability to conduct manned-unmanned teaming missions, Lim said. The vehicle features an AI-powered surveillance optical radar that uses machine learning to “detect and plot target location and distance, and the manned-unmanned teaming allows the planning and execution of missions efficiently.”

The vehicle’s serviceability features include a health usage and maintenance system to “provide a shift towards condition-based maintenance … reducing the frequency of maintenance while achieving high availability,” as well as onboard training, he said.

On the sustainability front, the vehicle’s hybrid-electric drive option provides faster acceleration, more exportable power and longer endurance and range, Lim said. Finally, the Terrex s5 was “designed … to be highly survivable, with a range of protection solutions that can be customized to specific requirements,” such as positive and negative obstacle detection, he said. The vehicle can also support a variety of weapon configurations and vehicular customizations for missions ranging from fire support to amphibious operations, the fact sheet stated.

The company in a press release said the vehicle is “production-ready.” Kiat noted the market for 8×8 fighting vehicles is “very competitive — everyone has one,” but said he doesn’t know of many as smart and survivable as the Terrex s5.

The vehicle is a “very high-end, digitalized … product that can meet all your mission requirements,” and “not necessarily at the price that you think you would have to pay for something so smart,” he said, adding that Europe and the Middle East are “markets of interest” for the platform.

“I think it will be useful if you’re a modern army looking for a combat-capable platform that comes with a lot of smartness built-in,” he said.

Topics: Land Forces, International, Combat Vehicles