Super small scouting helicopter

Outperforming detective hummingbird robots, the Black Hornet device is easy to use and has many advantages. Equipment will continue to be upgraded and improved for military service.

Weighing only 16 grams, Black Hornet looks like a toy helicopter. But in fact, it's a nano military device, not like any weapon on the battlefield.

The PD-100 Black Hornet reconnaissance system was announced to the American public for the first time last week at the Society of the US Army Expo in Washington.DC. The device is an unmanned aircraft, in which the control soldier can carry and manage as easily as a radio.

Since 2012, British soldiers in Afghanistan have been using the Black Horne device for a wide range of tasks - from reconnaissance of enemy ambush lines to peeking through walls of a facility. near.

Ole Aguirre, vice president of sales and marketing for Prox Dynamics AS, a Norwegian company that produces equipment Black Hornet, said: 'This unmanned aircraft is designed with very good parts and details. Small, requiring quickness and dexterity in becoming a "stealth" camera in the sky '.

The troops using Black Hornet said the device ran very quietly and invisible for more than 10 meters. A sergeant in the reconnaissance brigade cited the Ministry of Defense's statement that the system provided excellent capabilities for ground fighters.

A complete set of PD-100s comes with two Black Hornets, a dock for charging, a remote control and a mobile device with an 18cm wide screen for viewing feeds. . All are waterproof. The total weight of the device is about 1.3kg.

The downside of the Black Hornet is that it can only fly for 20 to 25 minutes before charging. Therefore its travel distance is limited to only within 1,200m.

Not only that, the Black Hornet is too small to be designed as an infrared camera (MWIR). So it is not capable of spying at night. Mr. Aguirre explained: 'The smallest MWIR sensors available on the market today are FLIR Quark which is nearly twice the weight of our Black Hornet device'.

It is known that the US military has bought and inspected two Black Hornets carefully, but does not mean recognition of the intelligence of this device.

According to Flightglobal, British troops accumulated 324 Black Hornets in their unmanned weapons arsenal.

The next development of Black Hornet, Prox Dynamics is looking for new sensors and overcomes many of its drone challenges currently facing.