Today we are going to discuss "The Tiny Black Hornet Drone, and why the military loves it?”.
So sit back, relax and enjoy this video!
Unmanned aerial vehicles have been changing the way wars are fought for nearly thirty
years now. Since their breakthrough use in the first Gulf War, they've cemented their
place on the battlefield, and global powers ranging from the US to India and China have
been looking for new technology to gain an edge in the skies. When it comes to drones,
though, bigger isn't always better. Soldiers on the ground are always looking to save weight,
and war zones aren't always accommodating to large UAVs that need lengths of runway
to launch. On top of that, maneuverability and concealability are two important qualities
of a surveillance drone that don't improve with largeness.
A company in Norway might have solved all of these problems, though, with the miniature
Black Hornet Nano helicopter drone. It has a weight of 16 grams with a size just less
than 4 inches long. The Black Hornet UAV allows armed troops to spy potential threats. The
small, remotely-controlled rotorcraft helps to save the lives of front-line soldiers.
This tiny UAV also offers intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to armed forces
in mission-critical operations. The UAV gives access to remote locations and provides situational
awareness on the battlefield.
Black Hornet’s development was initiated by Prox Dynamics AS of Norway in April 2008,
and in use by the armed forces of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany,
Australia, Turkey, Norway, the Netherlands, and India. The drone went through several
test flights and all kinds of tests before entering into serial production phase in early
2012. Now let's see why the military loves this
tiny Black Hornet drone. The most obvious difference between the Black
Hornet Nano and traditional UAVs like the Global Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper, and new Loyal Wingman,
is the size. Prox Dynamics AS, the Norwegian company responsible for creating the Black
Hornet, made it its mission "to develop, produce and sell the world’s smallest and most advanced"
UAV. At just over the size of a soldier's finger, the miniature unmanned helicopter
seems to have delivered on that promise.
Of course, that small size means low weight, something for which soldiers on the ground
are thankful. Between a load of ammunition, body armor, water, and other gear, a US Army
soldier is often carrying around upwards of 60 pounds of equipment; sometimes, according
to NPR, that figure is closer to 100. The fact that all this gear is being lugged through
a war zone doesn't do much to lighten the load. With the Black Hornet, though, soldiers
have a valuable tool in hand without adding pounds. The Black Hornet's size is more than
just convenient. It also gives the UAV the ability to accomplish missions that just can't
be done by its more traditional counterparts. While unable to carry the payload of an MQ-9A
Reaper, for instance, the Black Hornet Nano is unparalleled in the role of personal aerial
surveillance. Able simply to lift out of a soldier's hand, there's no need for a large
staging area to launch the Black Hornet. It can also work its way through tight spaces
like hallways. This gives an individual soldier the ability to, almost instantaneously, deploy
a UAV in exactly the location where it's needed.
In terms of design, the Black Hornet is constructed of a rugged, plastic-molded shell. The aerodynamic
shape of the Nano UAV withstands stormy winds. The tiny drone is fitted with three surveillance
cameras concealed within its nose. The complete Black Hornet system includes two UAVs and
a base station. The UAV has a length of about 100mm and a rotor span of 120mm. It has a
weight of 16 grams, including that of the surveillance camera. The total system excluding
display weighs less than 1kg.
In addition, Black Hornet is installed with a steerable electro-optic camera capable of
producing still images as well as live videos that are displayed on a hand-held device.
The camera can be zoomed in for a clearer picture using the base station controls. While
the autopilot system installed onboard the Black Hornet enables the operator to handle
the drone in two modes. The drone can either be operated directly or can be programmed
to go through a predefined path using the GPS system installed inside. The digital data
link allows the operator to control the UAV within the line-of-sight range of 1,000m.
About the Power unit of Black Hornet, it is powered by a very small rechargeable battery.
The battery is designed to rotate both horizontal and vertical rotors installed on the drone.
It can make the Black Hornet fly at a speed of 10m/s with a maximum endurance of 25 minutes.
Moreover, Black Hornet Nano is controlled by an operator from the ground using a joystick-like
device. The technology onboard the UAV enables the operator to control the drone from a maximum
range of 1,000m. While the base station of the Black Hornet offers planning, execution,
and analysis services to the operator of the system. It includes display connections and
system control connections.
And once we know its characteristics, of course, we are curious about the price of this tiny
UAV. Gizmocrazed reports that the cost of a single unit is just $195,000. With a USAF
report detailing the cost of a single Reaper at over $16 million, the Black Hornet represents
substantial cost savings when used as a replacement for missions like personal reconnaissance.
At the end of the video, we will see the operational history of the Black Hornet Nano.
The aircraft was being used by soldiers from the UK's Brigade Reconnaissance Force at Camp
Bastion in Afghanistan. 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.
As of 25 October 2013, the British Army had 324 Hornet Nanos in service. Moreover, in
July 2014, the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center
selected the PD-100 Black Hornet after looking at commercially available small-scale UAVs
as part of the Cargo Pocket Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance 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. The Black
Hornet was tested with U.S. troops at an event in early March 2015, and Prox Dynamics delivered
a PD-100 with upgraded features for Special Forces testing in June 2015. By 2015, the
Black Hornet had deployed with U.S. Marine Corps special operations teams. 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$195,000. In short, the
drone's small size doesn't hamper its ability to perform in battlefield conditions, either.
Capable, cost-effective, and convenient, the Army is looking to continue expanding the
Black Hornet's use in the field. While bug-sized drones have long been a goal of surveillance
technology, the Black Hornet Nano has finally achieved what so many have been aiming at
for so long.
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