Drones have become a valuable asset for any military force in recent years for both combat and surveillance. But while scanning a warzone from miles away is great from a tactical standpoint, unmanned aircraft can be just as useful in the hands of troops on the ground. That's why British soldiers in Afghanistan have been issued several Black Hornet Nanos, a palm-sized UAV that can scout around corners and obstacles for hidden dangers.
Each UAV measures just 4 x 1 inches (10 x 2.5cm) and weighs a mere 0.6 ounces (16 grams), making it easy for troops to carry along with the rest of their gear. A built-in camera transmits live video and still images to a handheld control unit at a range of up to half a mile (800 meters).
The Black Hornet Nano flies like a mini helicopter, but is stable enough to withstand harsh conditions and heavy wind. On a full charge, the tiny UAV can fly up to 30 minutes at a top speed of 22 mph (35 km/h), giving soldiers on the ground ample time to quickly survey an area. An operator can also use the control unit to pilot the drone directly or input a set of GPS coordinates for it to follow on its own.
Prox Dynamics AS, based in Norway, developed the Black Hornet Nano as a smaller follow-up to its previous PD-100 Personal Reconnaissance System, which was originally designed for search and rescue tasks. The British military first put the little drone to use in Afghanistan in 2012, following a £20m contract with Marlborough Communications Ltd. to supply 160 of them to troops in the area.
So far, the military has already stated the Black Hornet Nano has been a helpful tool for spotting enemy shooters and explosive traps in the field. The British Ministry of Defence has also noted that this is one of many new innovative gadgets planned for the coming years.
Source: Ministry of Defence via BBC
What code / protection system is built in to prevent enemy troops snatching your copter and then using it to Monitor your position?
and I thought only the US military screwed it's tax payers
If it saves lives, I think the cost is well worth it.
Fortunately that's a secret.
How do they "party in the chowper" ?
How noisy is it?
Does it self destruct if it crashes?
The signal would no doubt be encrypted, and no doubt, if the drone was seized by the enemy, the operator would be instantly aware of that. And in order for the enemy to use it to their own ends, they would need a controller with display- not the sort of thing they are likely to have any time soon.
Does seem extremely expensive though- although worth it to save lives.
This next part is based of the development contract price and reports. It is not the actual price of each individual kit. But since, from the comments, it looks like nobody understands what a development contract is *not*, I'll go from what you think it *is*.
What do you get for £125,000? 1) A copter which uses a secure (DDL) network, capable of transmitting over 800 meters 2) GPS navigation 3) High quality, stabilized, pan-tilt, and mechanically zoomed video 4) 30 minutes battery 5) Carbon-fiber propellers 6) Super-quiet operation 7) Waterproof 8) Hover and stare, preprogrammed search routes 9) Base Station • Mission Planning, Execution and Analyses • Display connections, Functions and System Controls • Storage of Mission Data including Video and Images • Connections to PC, Network and other Peripherals • UAVs housed inside for Protection and Support