The US Army will be receiving considerable reinforcements of tactical Black Hornet micro drones to its current fleet, under a nearly $94 million agreement Washington has signed with producer Teledyne FLIR Defense that also involves an undisclosed number of the tiny reconnaissance UAVs heading to Ukraine.
Just a day after the defense unit of California tech company Teledyne FLIR revealed the deal, the US yesterday issued a fact sheet listing Black Hornet drones among military supplies it is providing Ukraine under a recently announced $43.7 billion security assistance package. The nano UAVs have proven extremely effective in performing undetected reconnaissance and intelligence work against Russian troops.
That US Army accord follows similar contracts Teledyne FLIR Defense concluded with Norway over the past year. Those include a $48 million transaction in 2022, and a second agreement this month whose value was not revealed. Under details of the latter, the fleet of 300 Black Hornets Ukraine received from Oslo last year will be nearly tripled with newly arriving drones.
Read more: Teledyne Flir signs $48 million Black Hornet drone deal with Norway
Teledyne FLIR Defense said its new five-year agreement with the Department of Defense covers its current version of Black Hornet 3 drones – which reportedly cost $195,000 per unit – plus controllers, spare parts, and training. The new UAVs will both increase the numbers and tech capabilities of an earlier iteration of the craft the US Army acquired in a 2018 deal.
It’s unknown how many of the new micro vehicles will be relayed to Ukraine.
Teledyne FLIR’s Black Hornets weigh just 33 grams (under 0.1 pounds), measure 168 millimeters (less than seven inches), and fly up to 10 meters/second on maximal missions of 25 minutes. The drones carry three up-front sensors, and will transmit real-time visual and thermal video to US Army operators during both piloted or pre-programmed flight.
Their size and tech chops allow the UAVs to quietly sneak into places – and through obstacles – that larger vehicles can’t, and in doing so perform like far more expensive military-developed insect-scale drones.
“The Black Hornet 3 gives warfighters up-to-the-minute situational understanding before and while they conduct missions,” said JihFen Lei, Teledyne FLIR Defense general manager. “We are proud to provide this unique capability to our soldiers and honored by the U.S. Army’s long-term commitment through the new(contract), building on its previous orders.”
Read: Russia claims hidden ‘sleeper’ drones thwart Ukraine defenses
The company says it has received over $125 million in orders for Black Hornet systems since its 2018 contract with the US Army. It has delivered over 20,000 of the drones to 40 different countries – with Ukraine often being among the final destinations in deals cut with its clients.
“FLIR Defense will continue to invest in developing unmanned platforms and smart sensors that are proving their worthiness in operational theaters worldwide,” Lei said. “These technologies are reshaping the modern battlefield.”
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments