The lives of British soldiers in the Brigade Reconnaissance Force just got a little safer. Rather than having to undertake the dangerous task of checking for ambushes, investigating potential enemy positions themselves ("Go see if there are a bunch of guys with guns in that house"), or just sticking their head around the corner, they can now send this fist-sized spy 'copters to scout for danger ahead instead. Dubbed the Black Hornet Nano Unmanned Aircraft System by its designer, Prox Dynamics of Norway, this micro-UAV measures 4 inches long and 1 inch tall with a 4-inch rotor span. It weighs just 16 grams, flies nearly silently, and is colored to match and blend in with the grey mud buildings of Afghan villages. The Black Hornet's payload consists of a single tiny camera that delivers both full motion video and still images back to the recon soldier's hand-held terminal up to 1000 meters away. And while it may look like a child's toy, the Black Hornet has been ruggedized to handle the harsh, hot, and windy environments in which it operates.

It's powered by a small battery pack, which imparts a top speed of 10 m/s and maximum flight time of about 25 minutes. That's plenty of time to sneak into enemy territory, capture some images, and return to base. In addition to operating under the direct control of a pilot, the Black Hornet can also be deployed autonomously using its on-board GPS receiver.storm drone ff flying platform gopro British troops have been using the Black Hornet in Afghanistan since August of 2012 and have been thoroughly impressed so far. ar parrot drone programmingAs Major Adam Foden explained to UAS Vision:parrot ar drone light kit Black Hornet is a game-changing piece of kit. ar drone 2 joystick

Previously we would have sent soldiers forward to see if there were any enemy fighters hiding inside a set of buildings. Now we are deploying Black Hornet to look inside compounds and to clear a route through enemy-held spaces.It has worked very well and the pictures it delivers back to the monitor are really clear. And Black Hornet is so small and quiet that the locals can't see or hear it.Sergeant Christopher Petherbridge, of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force in Afghanistan, added that the "Black Hornet is definitely adding value, especially considering the light weight nature of it. We used it to look for insurgent firing points and check out exposed areas of the ground before crossing which is a real asset. It is very easy to operate and offers amazing capability to the guys on the ground."They've been so popular with troops that the UK Ministry of Defense has already placed a £20 million ($31.3 million) order for 160 units to complement the 300 or so other UAVs it currently operates in the region.

[UAS Vision 1, 2 - Prox Dynamics - BBC - MoD - Wikipedia - Image: MoD]Black Hornet, the next generation of tiny combat drones, has arrived. Norway’s Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet Block II Personal Reconnaissance System is a tiny drone helicopter that can fit into the palm of your hand. The company says it is the world’s smallest operational unmanned air system. It may look like a toy remote control helicopter on the wish list of kids young and old, but it’s serious combat tech. Black Hornet is about four inches long and one inch wide. And this little guy is astonishingly light. It only weighs just over half an ounce - that’s like the weight of three sheets of paper. The entire system, including two Black Hornets, a base station that can fit in your back pocket, a controller and a screen, weighs under three pounds. There’s no assembly required. As soon as you take it out of box, it is ready to go and can reach top speeds of about 10 miles per hour. Its tiny size and speed are a key advantage because it makes the drone far more difficult for an enemy to detect.

Despite its size, the Black Hornet can spend approximately 30 minutes in the air. The operator can pilot it, but you can also plug in the GPS coordinates and the drone can fly itself using auto-pilot. The drone has built-in GPS, internal sensors and more. The system is very easy to operate - similar to using an Xbox or PlayStation. The basic training course to become a Black Hornet operator takes only two days. Given its tiny size and lightweight, the company says that Black Hornet does not pose a threat to other aircraft. What is it used for? Black Hornet is a very sophisticated military tool with three cameras tucked into a very small unit – a pretty impressive engineering feat. On missions, Black Hornet can travel about three quarters of a mile and provide real-time live motion video back to the operator. It can also take HD photos. The tiny drone is extremely quiet and difficult to spot when it’s travelling at speed, making it very handy for stealthy information gathering.

During deployments in Afghanistan for example, the British Army uses Black Hornet to investigate terrain and locate snipers. While it has been mostly deployed by forces in rural and rugged terrains, it can also be useful for built up urban settings as well. Black Hornet’s quiet noise profile provides a key advantage getting very close to its target remaining undetected. How is the latest Black Hornet improved? As you’d expect by its name, Black Hornet's design was inspired by insects.  The early models were built in a way that looked more like insects than mini helicopters. The latest Black Hornet, the PD-100 Block II, looks almost identical to the first one, but also incorporates big advances inspired by the feedback from forces.  From the sensors to the flight capability, lots of aspects have been improved such as extending the drone’s range, making it faster and even more effective. Very popular with warfighters, the British military has reportedly invested more than $30 million on Black Hornets to support operations.