Singapore’s ST Engineering unveils Terrex s5 with hybrid-electric drive

SINGAPORE — ST Engineering has unveiled a new variation of its Terrex s5 eight-wheeled armored vehicle at the Singapore Airshow, this one said to be capable of generating significantly more electric power to help power auxiliary systems like small unmanned aircarft.

The vehicle, known as the Terrex s5 HED (Hybrid Electric Drive), features a hybrid electric drive system, said the company’s Director of Wheeled Platform Business in its Land Systems division Cheng Ze Wei.

Cheng told Breaking Defense at the show that the HED system comprises of a downsized internal combustion engine and electric motors that drive the individual axles. It enables, he said, the Terrex s5 HED to generate up to 400 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical power, compared to the 20 Kwh of a vehicle without the system.

“If you want to power drones, lasers, comms and radars on the vehicle you will need all this power,” he said.

According to Cheng, the reduction in the size of the engine has also meant that the Terrex s5 has 15 percent more internal volume that the a previous version of the Terrex s5 ST Engineering displayed at the 2024 Singapore Airshow, which was powered by solely an internal combustion engine.

The Terrex s5 HED has a gross weight of 35 tons and has a payload capacity of 13 tons, and is able of carrying 10 fully equipped troops along with two crew.

The vehicle on display was fitted with a ST Engineering Adder 30 remote control weapon station, mounting a Leonardo 30mm X-Gun autocannon, with an information board at the show stating that the weapon can fire Air Burst Munitions and has been optimized for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (c-UAS) operations.

The unveiling of the Terrex s5 HED follows an announcement by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence on Jan. 26 that it had issued a contract to the company in late January for an undisclosed number of Terrex s5 IFVs, which will be known as the Titan in Singapore Army service. It said in a post on social media that the Titan “is designed with new digitalised systems, advanced vehicle electronics, and a Command and Control (C2) architecture to support networked motorised operations.”

The vehicles will be delivered from 2028 onwards and will also be equipped with a 30mm cannon, and Singapore’s then-defense minister said in early 2025 that the Titan will have C-UAS capabilities.