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Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet Nano

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A Black Hornet nano helicopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The Black Hornet Nano is a military micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Prox Dynamics AS of Norway, and in use by the armed forces of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands and India.[1]

The unit measures around 10 × 2.5 cm (4 × 1 in) and provides troops on the ground with local situational awareness. They are small enough to fit in one hand and weigh just over half an ounce (16 g, including batteries).[2]

The UAV is equipped with a camera, which gives the operator full-motion video and still images. They were developed as part of a £20 million contract for 160 units with Marlborough Communications Ltd.[3][4][5]

An operator can be trained to operate the Black Hornet in as little as 20 minutes. The air vehicle has three cameras; one looking forward, one looking straight down, and one pointing downward at 45 degrees. A Black Hornet package contains two helicopters, and since a 90% charge is reached in 20-25 minutes, the same as its hovering time, when one needs to be recharged the other is ready to fly.[6] Top speed is 11 mph (18 km/h).[7]

In October 2014, Prox Dynamics unveiled a version of its PD-100 Black Hornet with night vision capabilities, fitted with both long-wave infrared and day video sensors that can transmit video streams or high-resolution still images via a digital data-link with a 1 mi (1.6 km) range. Over 3,000 Black Hornets had been delivered to date.[8]

Operational history

In flight, showing its antenna

The aircraft was being used by soldiers from the UK's Brigade Reconnaissance Force at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.[9] Operation Herrick personnel in Afghanistan deploy the Black Hornet from the front line to fly into enemy territory to take video and still images before returning to the operator. It was withdrawn from service in 2016/2017.[10]

Designed to blend in with the muddy grey walls in Afghanistan, and capable of flying for 20 minutes on quiet electric motors, it has been used to look around corners or over walls and other obstacles to identify any hidden dangers and enemy positions. The Black Hornet is connected to the operator with a digital data-link and GPS. Images are displayed on a small handheld terminal, which can be used by the operator to control the UAV.[11] The Black Hornet is launched from a small box that can be strapped to a utility belt, which also stores transmitted data, since the drone itself does not store any data, an advantage if captured. Operators can steer the UAV or set waypoints for it to fly itself.[12]

As of 25 October 2013, the British Army had 324 Hornet Nanos in service.[13]

In July 2014, the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) selected the PD-100 Black Hornet after looking at commercially available small-scale UAVs as part of the Cargo Pocket Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (CP-ISR) program. It concluded that further refinements were needed for a U.S. Army role including reconfiguring the data-link, giving it night vision, and improving navigational capability.[14] The Black Hornet was tested with U.S. troops at an event in early March 2015,[15] and Prox Dynamics delivered a PD-100 with upgraded features for special forces testing in June 2015.[16] By 2015, the Black Hornet had deployed with U.S. Marine Corps special operations teams.[6] Although the Army is seeking a mini-drone for use by individual squads through the Soldier Borne Sensors (SBS) program, the individually handmade Black Hornet is seen as too expensive for large-scale deployment, with a unit costing as much as US$190,000.[17]

Users

By September 2016, the PD-100 Black Hornet was in use by the militaries of 19 NATO-allied countries.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Eye in the sky: NSG acquires Black Hornet Nano – world's smallest spy cam UAV | India News". Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Den norske militærdronen er blitt standardutrustning". Tu.no (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. ^ Adrian Shaw (3 February 2013). "The eight inch spy in the sky: Tiny 'Black Hornet' helicopters snoop in Afghanistan in latest technology helping British troops". Mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Miniature surveillance helicopters help protect front line troops". GOV.UK. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  5. ^ Matthew Weber (7 February 2013). "The Black Hornet Is A $195,000 Spy Plane That Fits In Your Hand - Gizmo Crazed". gizmocrazed.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Marines get a closer look at Black Hornet micro drone Archived 31 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine - MarineCorpstimes.com, 23 September 2015
  7. ^ 2016 gear: New pistol, mini UAV, ear pro and more Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Militarytimes.com, 10 November 2015
  8. ^ Nano UAV Gets Night-Vision Capability Archived 19 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Aviationweek.com, 15 October 2014
  9. ^ a b BritishForcesNews·. "Mini drone gives UK troops extra eyes 06.02.13". BritishForcesNews. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  10. ^ "UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations 2017" (PDF). www.gov.uk. UK MOD. 6 July 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Black Hornet spycam is a 'lifesaver' for British troops". BBC News. Bbc.co.uk. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  12. ^ US Special Forces Are Experimenting With Bug Drones Archived 29 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Defenseone.com, 28 May 2015
  13. ^ Craig Hoyle (25 October 2013). "Unmanned Taranis has flown, MoD reveals". Flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  14. ^ US Army Enhances Pocket-Sized Black Hornet UAV Archived 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Armedforces-Int.com, 23 July 2014
  15. ^ Mini Drones Win Soldier Praise at Army Experiment Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Kitup.Military.com, 6 March 2015
  16. ^ PD-100 Black Hornet Micro UAV In US Army Tests Archived 7 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Copybook.com/Military, 5 June 2015
  17. ^ Army wants mini-drones for its squads by 2018 - Armytimes.com, 3 April 2016
  18. ^ Marines Testing Out World’s Smallest Drone Archived 31 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Defensetech.org, 27 September 2016
  19. ^ Coyne, Allie (3 July 2015). "Australian Army tests out drones for surveillance". IT News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  20. ^ {{|url=http://m.flugrevue.de/militaerluftfahrt/uav/heer-fuehrt-minidrohne-black-hornet-ein/711188%7Ctitle:German Army use black hornet}}
  21. ^ Fiorenza, Nicholas (4 May 2018). "Netherlands procures Black Hornet micro UAVs". IHS Jane's 360. London. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  22. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ^ Ripley, Tim (11 July 2017). "British Army retires Black Hornet micro UAV". IHS Janes. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  24. ^ "United Kingdom-Bristol: Military research and technology 2019/S 073-172483 Contract award notice". ted.europa.eu. Official Journal of the EU. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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