Drones

US Troops’ New Ally

After over four years of experimentation, the US Army is beginning to send out the tiny Black Hornet nano-drones to operational units, a move which will change how the service conducts itself on the battlefield. The miniature unmanned helicopter will give a significant boost in situational awareness and allow them to scout ahead without having to automatically put soldiers at risk.
In January 2019, the Army revealed that the Soldier Sensors and Lasers (SSL) division of the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center had delivered the first 60 complete Black Hornet systems to unspecified units. Then, FLIR Systems announced it had received a contract worth up to $39.6 million to deliver thousands more in the coming years. “The equipment is getting smaller and the reason it’s getting smaller is so the Soldier can be equipped with this,” Sunny Koshal, the chief of the Soldier Support Branch at Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center told thedrive.com.