ST Engineering Debuts Light Reconnaissance Strike Vehicle and Sisu GTT Carrier at DSEI 2025

At DSEI 2025 in London, Singapore’s ST Engineering introduced a new Light Reconnaissance Strike (LRS) vehicle concept aimed at expeditionary forces requiring high mobility and modular firepower. Alongside it, the company showcased the Finnish-designed Sisu GTT articulated tracked carrier—a platform optimized for extreme terrain operations. The dual unveiling highlights ST Engineering’s push to diversify its land systems portfolio into lighter, more deployable solutions for modern conflict environments.

Light Reconnaissance Strike Concept: Modular Firepower on a Lightweight Chassis

The LRS concept vehicle is designed around a lightweight 4×4 chassis with an emphasis on modularity and rapid deployability. While still in prototype form as of DSEI 2025, the vehicle is intended to provide reconnaissance units with organic strike capabilities without compromising speed or off-road agility.

Key features of the LRS include:

Open-architecture digital backbone for C4ISR integration
Remote Weapon Station (RWS) options including 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns and anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) pods
Lightweight armor package providing protection against small arms fire (up to STANAG Level 2)
Payload capacity of approximately 1.2–1.5 tonnes

The vehicle appears to be optimized for airborne or amphibious forces that require air-transportable platforms with sufficient lethality to engage light armor or fortified positions. Its low profile and compact dimensions suggest compatibility with rotary-wing transport such as CH-47 Chinook or underslung carriage by medium helicopters.

ST Engineering has not yet confirmed a production timeline or customer interest but indicated that the platform is being evaluated internally and may proceed to further trials depending on feedback from potential users.

Sisu GTT Articulated Tracked Carrier: All-Terrain Mobility for Arctic and Jungle Operations

The second platform on display was the Sisu GTT (General Tactical Transport), an articulated tracked carrier originally developed by Finland’s Sisu Auto but now offered in partnership with ST Engineering for Asia-Pacific markets. The GTT is designed for high-mobility missions across snow, swamp, sand, or jungle terrain—areas where conventional wheeled vehicles are limited.

The Sisu GTT consists of two modules connected via an articulating joint:

Front module: Houses engine compartment and driver cabin; optionally armored
Rear module: Configurable as troop transport, logistics pod, command post, or weapon station

Main specifications include:

Caterpillar C7 diesel engine producing ~250 hp
Total payload capacity up to ~6 tonnes across both modules
Amphibious capability without preparation; water propulsion via track paddling
Crew of two; up to ten dismounts depending on configuration

The platform competes directly with BAE Systems’ BvS10 Viking and Haegglunds’ Beowulf in the niche category of all-terrain amphibious carriers. While originally designed for Nordic militaries operating in sub-Arctic conditions, such platforms have seen renewed interest due to climate change opening up new operational theaters—particularly in polar regions—and increasing demand for humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HADR) vehicles capable of reaching remote areas.

Strategic Positioning: Lightweight Platforms for Expeditionary Forces

The twin showcase at DSEI reflects ST Engineering’s strategic intent to diversify beyond traditional heavy armor into expeditionary platforms suited for Southeast Asian geography and beyond. Both the LRS concept and Sisu GTT cater to forces needing tactical mobility over difficult terrain—be it archipelagic jungles or snowbound mountain passes.

This aligns with broader regional procurement trends emphasizing lighter vehicles that can be rapidly deployed via airlift or sealift while retaining modular mission adaptability. For example:

The Philippines has expressed interest in amphibious support vehicles post-Marikina flooding incidents.
Indonesia continues investing in mobile border patrol assets along its Kalimantan frontier.

If adopted by regional militaries—or even civil defense agencies—the LRS and GTT could fill key capability gaps between conventional armored personnel carriers (APCs) and unarmored utility trucks.

Technology Integration Potential: C4ISR & Remote Weapon Systems

A notable aspect of both platforms is their digital openness—a deliberate design choice enabling rapid integration of mission-specific electronics such as battlefield management systems (BMS), electronic warfare suites, ISR sensors (e.g., mast-mounted EO/IR), or loitering munition control terminals.

This positions both vehicles as potential nodes within larger network-centric warfare architectures. In particular:

The LRS could serve as a forward sensor-effector platform when paired with UAVs or UGVs operating under manned-unmanned teaming concepts.
The Sisu GTT’s rear module could be adapted into a mobile command post hosting SATCOM terminals or SIGINT payloads during border surveillance missions.

This adaptability enhances their appeal not only to armed forces but also paramilitary units engaged in counter-insurgency (COIN), border patrols, disaster response coordination centers, or special operations support roles requiring low-signature mobility assets.

Outlook: Export Prospects and Development Pathways Ahead

No formal contracts have been announced yet regarding either system; however ST Engineering emphasized that both are available for co-development under government-to-government frameworks or direct commercial sales depending on end-user requirements.

The LRS remains at concept stage but could mature quickly if aligned with Singapore Armed Forces modernization priorities—especially given SAF’s emphasis on networked maneuver elements under its Army Vision plan. Meanwhile the Sisu GTT benefits from existing NATO-user validation through Finnish service experience but may require localized adaptations (e.g., tropical cooling kits) before entering wider Asia-Pacific service.

DSEI served primarily as a visibility window—gauging international interest while signaling ST Engineering’s willingness to co-develop niche land systems tailored toward hybrid warfare environments where agility often trumps armor mass alone.