Drones

Nano-UAV – ISR Capabilities Right from Combat Vest Pocket

The new PD-100 Black Hornet 3 will feature a larger air vehicle, weighing as much as 35 g compared to the 18 g all-up weight of the Black Hornet 2. The new version nano-UAV has the class 0 UAV status which frees it from flight restrictions. The complete system fits into a pocket and is airborne within one minute. It requires little training and no pilot experience.

According to janes.com, the system’s primary role is as a soldier-borne close reconnaissance asset will be maintained, with a concept of operations that sees it carried on a combat vest.

Although he was unable to disclose specifics regarding the performance enhancements that will be brought into the new system, Ole Aguirre, director UAS business development for FLIR Systems, said that Prox Dynamics’ acquisition by FLIR enables the air vehicle design to take advantage of a wider range of payloads and technologies – those already developed by FLIR and bespoke systems.

At present, Black Hornet 3 is slated to feature day/night video, a metadata and snapshot function, an advanced GPS-based autopilot, and functionality in GPS-denied environments.