Teledyne FLIR Defense’s Black Hornet 4 drone has been approved for the US military’s Blue UAS List after meeting cybersecurity requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act and passing verification by the Defense Innovation Unit.
The listing grants Authority to Operate and allows government agencies to deploy the system for official use.
Black Hornet 4 is a palm-sized nano drone designed for short-range reconnaissance in complex environments.
Features
The entire system, including the control unit, weighs about 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds), making it light enough to be carried and operated by dismounted personnel with minimal training.
It can operate for over 30 minutes and has a range exceeding 3 kilometers (1.9 miles).
Its flight system remains stable in adverse conditions, including wind speeds up to 25 knots (29 miles/46 kilometers per hour) and light rain.
The drone is equipped with a 12-megapixel optical camera for daylight imaging and a thermal sensor for low-visibility, allowing for night operations.
Images and live video are transmitted in real-time to the operator.
An obstacle avoidance system helps the drone detect and avoid nearby objects, making flying safely in cluttered environments such as urban areas easier.
Black Hornet Contracts
FLIR Defense has delivered over 33,000 Black Hornet variants to military and security forces in more than 45 countries.
In May, the company inaugurated a 13,000-square-foot (1,208-square-meter) facility in Somerset, Kentucky, which will serve as a key center for maintenance, testing, and training activities related to the Black Hornet drone systems used by US military units.
The initiative follows a five-year US Army contract for the delivery of Black Hornet 4 systems, initially valued at $25 million, with the potential to reach $91 million if all options are exercised.
