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"Fits in a Pocket": Ultra-Small Military Reconnaissance Drone Draws Attention

Drones2 min read

The Black Hornet is a tiny military spy drone that soldiers can carry in a pocket. It is used to scout enemy areas without being seen, and it is now being used in the war in Ukraine.

A pocket-sized spy drone

IT news site BGR wrote about the Black Hornet, a very small reconnaissance drone that has been used on the battlefield for a long time. The U.S. Army began testing tiny drone technology in 2016 and started using it in combat in 2018. The newest version, Black Hornet 4, came out in 2023. Norway and the United Kingdom have given the drone to Ukraine, where it is now used for scouting in the war with Russia.

Key facts and numbers

  • Black Hornet 4 weighs about 70 grams.
  • It can take off in less than 20 seconds.
  • Top flight speed is 10 meters per second.
  • It can fly up to 2 kilometers away and stay up for about 30 minutes on one charge.
  • It can handle winds up to 25 knots and rain.

Who makes it and how it works

Norwegian company Prox Dynamics first developed the Black Hornet. It was founded in 2007. U.S. defense technology company FLIR Systems bought Prox Dynamics in 2016. Today, Teledyne FLIR Defense in the United States makes Black Hornet 4. The drone has a 12-megapixel camera and a heat-sensing camera that can see at night. It has one rotor, so it is very quiet. The operator uses a hand controller and watches live video on a tablet.

Why it matters

The drone's small size and low noise help soldiers see what is ahead while staying hidden. Its high price shows how hard it is to fit cameras, sensors, and communication tools into something as small as a palm. Ground robots are getting smarter, and some experts ask whether small spy drones will still be needed. BGR says that for now, drones can see over buildings and terrain in ways ground robots cannot, so the Black Hornet remains an important tool.

What to watch

  • Whether ground robots with AI can do the scouting work that small drones do today.
  • How FLIR combines the Black Hornet with its PackBot-style ground robot, the FirstLook 125, to scout from air and ground at once.
  • Whether ground robots start carrying even smaller drones of their own.

Glossary

Black Hornet
A tiny military spy drone that weighs about 70 grams and is used to scout areas without being seen.
Prox Dynamics
A Norwegian company founded in 2007 that first developed the Black Hornet drone.
Teledyne FLIR Defense
A U.S. company that now makes the Black Hornet 4 drone.
FirstLook 125
A ground robot made by FLIR Systems that can work together with the Black Hornet.

Same story, different eyes

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