You may have seen very small drone used by hi-tech commandos in several movies.
But now this has come from movies to real.
The U.S. Army squads will soon have their own pocket-sized drones to enable reconnaissance.
A $39.6 million contract has been award to FLIR Systems Inc - the makers of
Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System, or PRS.
This is part of an effort to give ground troops better situational awareness in the battlefield.
In this video Defense Updates, analyzes FLIR Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System.
Let's get into the details.
FLIR in a recent press release stated, "The highly capable nano-unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV) systems delivered under this contract will support platoon and small-unit level
surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as part of the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS)
Program”.
President and CEO of FLIR Systems, Jim Cannon, "We are proud to be selected by the U.S. Army
for the SBS Program of Record; this contract represents a significant milestone with the
operational large-scale deployment of nano-UAVs into the world's most powerful Army.”
He further added, "This contract is a major win for the newly
established Unmanned Systems & Integrated Solutions business division at FLIR and demonstrates
the strong and urgent demand for nano-UAV technology offered by FLIR.
Protecting U.S. warfighters with our unmanned solutions is a key objective for FLIR.”
Information is key in the modern battlefield.
Ability to quickly perform a recon & analyze the situation can be the difference between
life & death.
A Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) will be especially useful in urban terrain where
close quarter combat scenarios are prevalent.
Equipping American ground troops with PRS will certainly give them an edge in combat.
Viewers may note that the US Army is working on the SBS program for some time of which
Personal Reconnaissance System is part of.
In March 2015, soldiers evaluated early versions of the Black Hornet in at Fort Benning, Georgia
during the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment.
FLIR Black Hornet system consists of a controller and the UAV.
The FLIR Black Hornet looks like a miniature helicopter and actually, it flies very much
like a helicopter.
It has a camera fitted on it that can relay visuals to the operator in real time.
The soldier can get still images as well as videos.
The communication is encrypted.
Black Hornet works in the day as well as night since it is equipped with thermal imagery
apart from normal cameras.
The latest variant of the Black Hornet can fly up to 25 minutes.
It has a range of around 2 km. and works even when not in line-of-sight.
Importantly it keeps a very low profile and flies almost silently.
FLIR touts the Black Hornet as the world’s smallest and lightest PRS.
The UAV is less than 33 grams and the total system is only 1.3 kg.
Since the size is compact, the system can be carried easily.
It has built-in AI and has several modes that include an automated flight to designated
target as well as automated return even when there is a link failure.
It has different types of navigation including GNSS navigation, Vision Base Navigation for
GPS-denied and indoor operation and Embedded Vector and Raster maps.
Black Hornet also has a user replaceable battery.
Black Hornet will be an excellent addition to the US Army’s equipment list.
Importantly, it is very cost effective when compared to other handheld systems.
A full-fledged Black Hornet system costs between $15,000 and $20,000, which is almost ten times
lower than RQ-11 Ravens.
It must be noted that RQ-11 Ravens is far larger than Black Hornet.
U.S Army will actually be the first one to induct Personal Reconnaissance System extensively
and this is expected to go a long way in bridging the gap between aerial and ground-based sensors.