Army orders pocket-sized reconnaissance unmanned aircraft from Teledyne FLIR in $93.9 million contract
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army reconnaissance and surveillance experts needed a pocket-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to help warfighters detect and track threats located just over the next hill. They found their solution from Teledyne FLIR LLC in Hvalstad, Norway.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., announced a $93.9 million contract to Teledyne FLIR earlier this month for Black Hornet 3 unmanned aerial systems, spare parts, and ancillary services.
The Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet 3 personal reconnaissance system equips the non-specialist infantry soldier with covert situational awareness with quick-setup visible-light and infrared cameras on the palm-sized UAV to help bridge the gap between aerial and ground-based sensors.
The Black Hornet 3 unmanned aircraft is four inches long and weighs slightly more than one ounce. It offers a flight time as long as 25 minutes, and transmits live video and high-definition still images back to the operator to detect and identify threats day and night.
The Black Hornet 3 has a range of nearly 16 miles, flies at speeds to 10 meters per second, and can be set up in less than a minute.
On this contract FLIR Unmanned will do the work at locations to be determined with each order, and should be finished by April 2028. For more information contact Teledyne FLIR online at www.flir.com/suas.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
