Teledyne FLIR Defense's Black Hornet 4 nano-drone has won the US Department of Defense's Blue UAS Refresh award. That may not mean much to the average person, but it does give us an excuse to talk about the palm-size infantry recon helicopter.
It may have a passing resemblance to a toy helicopter, however, the Black Hornet 4 is anything but. It's the latest generation of the Norway-based Teledyne FLIR Defense's Black Hornet family of nano-drones designed to be used by infantry soldiers to sort out the lay of the land without sticking their heads out into danger.
Weighing in at only about 70 grams (2.5 oz) and with a rotor diameter of 190 mm (7.5 in), the Black Hornet 4 can be assembled and launched from its carrying case in under 20 seconds. According to the maker, it can fly at 10 m/sec (33 ft/sec) for over 30 minutes on a single battery charge and can handle wind gusts of up to 30 knots (34 mph, 55 km/h) – which is reassuring to anyone who's seen their lightweight drone going sailing off in a gentle breeze.
Controlled from a small handheld unit, the Black Hornet 4 has a radio range of 2 km (1.24 miles) and secure communications links thanks to encryption, dynamic power, and frequency jumping functions. It also has a certain degree of autonomy for beyond-line-of-sight operation and in GPS-denied areas. It has in-built maps, collision avoidance, and can even follow a virtual string line to keep it on course around tight corners, including in urban areas, trenches, and buildings.
It also has a high degree of stealthiness with low visibility and low motor and rotor noise. Exactly how quiet is, to excuse the pun, a bit hush hush.
At the business end, the Black Hornet 4 has what is claimed to be the world's smallest thermal camera. A 12-MP electro-optical camera, a navigation camera, and a white LED lamp. Video feeds are at 1,280 x 720 pixels, snapshots at 3,024 x 4,032 pixels, and thermal imaging video and snapshots at 512 x 640 pixels.
Evaluated with 35 other UAS systems, the Black Hornet 4 was one of those chosen for the Blue UAS Refresh award, which means it can go on for NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and cyber security verification before getting an Authority to Operate (ATO) certification to work with US armed forces.
"Black Hornet 4 has been extremely well received by the war fighter since it was first introduced in late 2023," said Doctor JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense. "We are very proud to see Black Hornet 4 selected as a winner of Blue UAS Refresh and are confident this unique drone will continue to have a huge impact for all operators across all missions.
"Along with having already been selected for the U.S. Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor Tranche 2 program, this latest achievement will make Black Hornet 4 available to an even larger cohort of users."
Source: Teledyne FLIR Defense
