The US Army has awarded FLIR Systems a follow-on contract for the delivery of its Black Hornet 3 nano-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Also referred to as personal reconnaissance systems (PRS), the UAVs will support platoon- and small unit-level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as part of the army’s soldier borne sensor (SBS) program.
The latest contract is worth $20.6 million, and follows an initial $39.7 million contract from January 2019. The company said the delivery of those systems for fielding across the force was currently underway.
The Black Hornet is nearly silent and has a flight time up to 25 minutes, during which it can transmit live video and HD still images back to the operator. Weighing less than 33 grams, the UAV is compact and requires minimal training. It is capable of transmitting imagery through encrypted data link with ranges up to 2 km to safely engage targets beyond visual line-of-sight.
FLIR says it has delivered more than 12,000 Black Hornet nano-UAVs to defense and security forces worldwide.
“Black Hornet has proven to be a game-changing technology – a small package that can deliver a big edge on the battlefield. We’re proud to continue supporting the US Army’s soldier borne sensor program,” said Roger Wells, VP and general manager of the unmanned systems & integrated solutions business line at FLIR.
