Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, announced introducing its new Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance System at this week's Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference in Washington D.C. Teledyne FLIR Defense has introduced its new Black Hornet 4 Personal Reconnaissance System. Building on the battle-proven legacy of its predecessor, Black Hornet 4 represents the next generation of lightweight nano-drones delivering covert situational awareness to small military units. At just 70 grams, Black Hornet 4 has a flying time of more than 30 minutes, range greater than two kilometers, and can fly in 25-knot winds.

Flight performance has been augmented by new obstacle avoidance capabilities and an advanced battery. Compared to small quad-rotor drones, the single rotor Black Hornet 4 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has an extremely low visual and audible signature, enabling it to identify threats day or night without being detected. Able to launch in less than 20 seconds and well suited for missions in GPS-denied environments, the Black Hornet 4 UAV can be used to rapidly identify targets beyond visual line-of-sight and assess weapon effects in real-time.

The U.S. Army began acquiring Black Hornets five years ago as part of its Soldier Borne Sensor program and since then has placed orders totaling more than $125 million. In July, the Army awarded Teledyne FLIR a five-year contract worth up to $94 million for additional Black Hornet systems.