Teledyne Flir Defense has a new nano-drone.
The subsidiary of Thousand Oaks-based Teledyne Technologies Inc. debuted the Black Hornet 4 nano-drone earlier this month at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, D.C.
The Black Hornet 4, which weighs 2.4 ounces, has a flying time of more than 30 minutes, a range greater than 1.2 miles and can fly safely in nearly 30-mile-an-hour winds, according to Teledyne Flir.
JihFen Lei, executive vice president and general manager of Teledyne Flir Defense, said that the Black Hornet 4 takes the features and capabilities of the Black Hornet 3 to the next level.
“We’ve worked closely with customers and end users to make this system even more valuable for dismounted soldiers in need of situational understanding or engaged in covert operations, where precise and immediate intel is crucial,” Lei said.
Compared to small quad-rotor drones, the single-rotor Black Hornet 4 unmanned aerial vehicle has an extremely low visual and audible signature, enabling it to identify threats more easily without being detected, Teledyne Flir said.
Able to launch in 20 seconds or less and well suited for missions in GPS-denied environments, the Black Hornet 4 drone can be used to identify targets beyond visual line of sight and assess weapon effects in real time, the company added.
A 12-megapixel daytime camera with low-light performance, plus a new high-resolution thermal imager, deliver video and still images to the operator.
“Black Hornet 4 is future-proof nano-drone technology,” Lei added in her statement.
Flir Defense has delivered more than 20,000 Black Hornet personal reconnaissance systems to military and security forces in more than 40 countries. Black Hornet drones are being used in Ukraine through donations made by the British and Norwegian governments, where they have performed successfully in numerous missions, according to Teledyne Flir.
The U.S. Army began acquiring Black Hornets five years ago as part of its Soldier Borne Sensor program, and since then has placed orders totaling more than $125 million. In July, the Army awarded Teledyne Flir a five-year contract worth as much as $94 million for additional Black Hornet systems, the company added.