Thailand looks to Singapore to complete development of Black Widow Spider
Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
04 November 2015
Thailand is looking to complete the development of its first 'indigenous' military vehicle through a partnership with Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics), the land systems arm of ST Engineering.
A spokeswoman from the Thailand's state-owned Defence Technical Institute (DTI) told
IHS Jane's at the Defense & Security 2015 show in Bangkok on 4 November that its 8x8 Black Widow Spider armoured vehicle is on track to enter serial production in Thailand within the next few years.
The Black Widow Spider is currently undergoing advanced development in a programme led by DTI and featuring collaboration across Thailand's land-based defence industry base.
Thailand looks to Singapore to complete development of Black Widow Spider - IHS Jane's 360
Singapore unveils Venus 16 unmanned surface vehicle
Kelvin Wong, Singapore - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
04 November 2015
The Republic of Singapore Navy is testing a 16 m variant of the Venus unmanned surface vehicle for maritime security operations, including coastal patrol and mine countermeasure missions. Source: IHS/Kelvin Wong
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is conducting sea trials of a new and indigenously developed unmanned surface vehicle (USV) designed for maritime security missions, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced on 5 November.
The existence of the Venus 16 was officially unveiled during Exercise 'Highcrest 2015': a multi-agency maritime security exercise being conducted from 2 to 6 November that assesses the country's ability to respond to simultaneous threats at sea.
The vehicle, which had earlier broken cover as a teaser on the service's Facebook page on 1 November, is the latest model in the Venus family of modular and scaleable USV platforms developed by Singapore Technologies (ST) Electronics: a subsidiary of state-affiliated defence prime ST Engineering.
According to specifications supplied by MINDEF, the 22-tonne vehicle measures 16 m long and 5 m wide. It is capable of attaining a cruising speed of 25 kt and a maximum speed of 40 kt and can be deployed at sea for more than 36 hours.
The service is testing variants of the vehicle that have been specifically configured to perform coastal defence and mine countermeasures (MCM) missions, with the former deployed in concert with police coastguard interceptors as part of a simulated interception of a fast boat threat at sea during 'Highcrest 2015'.
The white-hulled coastal defence variant features an "advanced sensor suite" as well collision-avoidance protocols that enable it to conduct autonomous patrol missions.
IHS Jane's understands that the vehicle is equipped with a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) but is otherwise unarmed, although provisions for a remote weapon station can be clearly seen on its foredeck.
"The USV has been deployed in trials to patrol Singapore's waters, as part of the RSN's layered coastal defence," MINDEF stated. "The USV will be a key force multiplier as it allows the RSN to patrol Singapore's waters with a smaller number of manned assets, sustaining operations over longer periods."
Singapore unveils Venus 16 unmanned surface vehicle - IHS Jane's 360
