ST Aero UAV can fly and swim

<p><strong>ST Aerospace is showing off a proof of concept unmanned air vehicle that can both fly and swim.</strong></p> <p><strong>The company&rsquo;s Unmanned Hybrid Vehicle (UHV) has been tested in the water, but has yet to conduct its first flight.</strong></p> <p>&ldquo;Not many countries are comfortable with a 25kg [55lb] experimental aircraft in their airspace,&rdquo; says Milly Tay, senior vice-president at ST Aero&rsquo;s engineering and development centre.</p> <p>She is confident, however, over the UHV&#39;s capabilities given ST Aero&rsquo;s extensive experience with both manned and unmanned aircraft.</p> <p>A UAV that can fly to its target area has a great speed advantage over one that can only travel in water, she points out.</p> <p>Tay says the UHV has a range of 4.3nm (8km) and will be deployable from a ship or land. It is designed to land in the water, submerge, and swim. Military applications include mine detection and gauging depths.</p> <p>Such a system would be of great utility in Southeast Asia&rsquo;s littoral environment, which is characterised by shallow seas, narrow waterways, and reefs.</p>