Singapore Airshow 2026: Singapore, Airbus complete helicopter MUM-T trial

An RSAF H225M helicopter coming in to land at Sembawang Air Base. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Airbus Helicopters have completed a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) flight trial involving an H225M medium-lift airframe and a Flexrotor unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

The trial was carried out in January 2026 and it saw an RSAF H225M working together with a Flexrotor in a simulated search-and-rescue (SAR) operation, said Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) in a 5 February statement released during Singapore Airshow 2026.

The trial was carried out at an undisclosed airbase, and it follows an agreement that was signed in June 2025 for the trial, which utilises Airbus's helicopter MUM-T system known as HTeaming.

Airbus managed the design and integration of the HTeaming system into the H225M, including the development of specialised datalink architectures.

“[The trial] validated how a manned helicopter could leverage real-time data from an unmanned drone to enhance a search-and-rescue mission, significantly extending the aircraft's visual range and overall mission effectiveness,” said DSTA in its statement.

“This integration enabled the helicopter crew to receive and process real-time data from the Flexrotor while maintaining direct command-and-control [C2] of the UAS, facilitating rapid decision making and mission execution while minimising the crew's exposure in high-risk environments,” the agency added.

The Flexrotor is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS. It can operate for more than 12 hours in typical configurations and can be launched and recovered autonomously from compact areas.

Meanwhile, Singapore's H225M helicopters replace the RSAF's AS332M Super Pumas that entered service in 1983. The first H225M was delivered to the RSAF in March 2021.