Black Hornet (drone)

2022: Drone Handover to Ukraine

Ministry of Defence Norway together Great Britain with will supply To Ukraine microdrones worth up to 90 million Norwegian crowns ($9.26 million). The department announced this at the end of August 2022.

Ukraine, where the Russian military special operation is taking place, will receive miniature Black Hornet drones, spare parts for them, and will also cover transportation and training costs. The length of the drone is about 100 mm, the width is 25 mm, the diameter of the rotor is 100 mm. Its total weight is about 18 grams. The entire set, excluding the display, weighs 1.3 kg. The UAV can fly at speeds up to 5 m/s with winds up to 8 m/s. The maximum flight duration is declared at 25 minutes, the flight range is up to 1 km.

UK and Norway hand over military drones to Ukraine

The Black Hornet features two CCTV cameras placed in its nose. Data is transmitted to the set control station in real time.

This donation indicates that we are determined to continue to support Ukraine, but it also entails a new direction of support from Western countries. Until now, we and our allies have mainly donated from our own reserves, "said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Graham, commenting on the supply of drones to Kyiv.

The British fund will finance the supply, to which Norway transferred about $41 million. In addition, Norway plans to purchase a Nightfighter drone defense system for Ukraine for $10.2 million.

Norway previously supplied Ukraine with protective equipment and about 2 thousand anti-tank weapons, and also sent 2 thousand anti-tank grenade launchers M72 and 22 self-propelled howitzers M109. In June, the Norwegian authorities said that they would no longer announce military supplies to Kyiv, explaining this on security grounds.^[1]

2019: Use in the U.S. Army

In early July 2019, it became known about the use by the American army of miniature drones developed by the British company FLIR Systems. Unmanned aerial vehicles called Black Hornet are designed for reconnaissance operations in military operations.

The drone weighing only 32 grams is capable of silently flying 2 km and reaching speeds of up to 21 km/h. It allows intelligence agencies and rapid response teams to receive tactically important information in real time.

The flight time of the Black Hornet without recharging reaches 25 minutes. The device can shoot color photos and videos in HD quality (including in night vision mode), transmit them to the ground, and when returning, quickly change the power supply and return back to your tasks.

The US Army has adopted pocket reconnaissance drones

According to the developers, training in the use of drones will take instructors less than three days, and soldiers will cope with control in just a couple of minutes.

The drone has an autopilot function and has two cameras with conventional optics and thermal imaging.

The new drones are supplied by the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army and will be used in Afghanistan. The Pentagon plans to equip many ground forces with such equipment in the future.

Earlier in 2019, the British Ministry of Defense purchased these drones in the amount of $1.8 billion. The technology is being mastered in other countries, including France and Germany.

Compact UAVs are designed to help infantrymen during battles. They will allow you to better study the area and look for soldiers of the enemy army who are difficult to see from afar.

Earlier in 2019, FLIR Systems released an enlarged version of the drone designed for use on armored vehicles and vehicles such as armored personnel carriers, tanks and HUMVEE all-terrain vehicles.^[2]

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