Night of dazzling technology

FORGET the primary school boy flipping us the bird on TV, or the mostly farcical simulation of a terrorist attack at The Float @ Marina Bay. What stole the show at this year's National Day Parade (NDP) were the Shooting Star drones.

For the first time in NDP history, a mass of 300 drones took to the skies over Marina Bay to put up a colourful aerial light show that resembled a fireworks display. The nearly five-minute-long spectacle is said to be the largest unmanned drones display in South-east Asia.

Like performers on the ground, these drones darted around to form symbolic images such as the Merlion spouting water from its mouth, a heart with a crescent and five stars, and an outline of the Singapore island.