The U.S. Army Is Putting Tiny 'Black Hornet' Drones in the Hands of Troops

The U.S. Army is equipping ground troops with a new handheld drone it claims will eliminate dead space on the battlefield, allowing soldiers to see beyond their line of sight. The Black Hornet drone, set to deploy with infantry platoons and other units, will also allow troops to thoroughly reconnoiter an objective, gathering information about enemy forces, while staying hidden and preserving the element of surprise.

Originally developed by Prox Dynamics of Norway, the Black Hornet drone is designed to be a very small, practically birdlike handheld drone that can do quick local surveillance missions over the battlefield. Prox Dynamics was purchased by U.S.-based FLIR Systems, which then outfitted the tiny drone with infrared night vision. The resulting drone can see day or night, recording video or still images, and has a flight time of 25 minutes. Here’s a FLIR Systems video on the latest version, Black Hornet 3.