British Army to invest $44 million in tiny hand-sized reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
LONDON – The British army will invest $43.5 million in a fleet of tiny unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an effort to outmaneuver enemies on the battlefield. CNBC reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
6 March 2019 -- Funding for the mini-drones will come from a 160 million pound Transformation Fund, United Kingdom Defence Minister Gavin Williamson announced on Wednesday, adding that the fund would inject 66 million pounds into army robotics. There are 1.32 U.S. dollars in a British pound.
The new technology will provide soldiers with an eye-in-the-sky, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release Tuesday. British newspaper The Times reported that the drones will be smaller than a hand and weigh less than 7 ounces. The report added that the fleet will be used to spy on terrorism suspects and monitor battlefields before soldiers arrive.
The FLIR Systems Black Hornet personnal reconnaissance system for infantry warfighters could be a candidate for the British Army UAV mission. It weighs 1.6 ounces, is 6.6 inches long, and has a rotor diameter of 4.8 inches.
Related: Army asks Norwegian company to design Black Hornet pocket UAV helicopter for foot soldiers
Related: FLIR buys Prox Dynamics for expertise in electro-optical UAV sensor platforms
Related: Army researchers survey industry for suppliers of Aeryon SkyRanger small helicopter drones
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
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