Why can the black hornet drone be the Brahmastra on the battlefield?
The palm-sized black hornet drone, with a flight time of 25 minutes, is changing the game on the battlefield. This ready-to-use product shows exceptional results with a great success rate. So why is it so special? What is the history of this black hornet drone? Is it capable of beating other military drones like the Golden Eagle?
Don’t worry; I will clear up your doubts about this state-of-the-art masterpiece.
Table of contents
- What is a Black Hornet Drone?
- The history of this nano-UAV
- Why is it so special?
- Black hornet vs. Teal’s Golden parrot
Abraham Karem was born in 1937 and is a designer of uncrewed aircraft with fixed and rotary wings. He is the founding father of UAV (drone) technology. With time, this drone technology is performing exceptionally well.
What is a Black Hornet Drone?
Black hornet is a nano UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle) or nano-category drone. It is highly capable of spying on any location without the enemy’s recognition. Some of the best features of this drone are
- Its weight is less than 33 grams or 1.16 oz.
- The overall length is 6.6 inches, with a propeller measuring 4.8 inches.
- Enabled with EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) technology
- Flight time of 25 minutes
- A maximum speed of 6 m/sec is possible.
- The maximum radio range is 2 km.
- Equipped with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
- -10 to 43 degrees Celsius is the operating temperature
These features and the state-of-the-art design make this drone one of the best choices for military use.
The history of these nano UAVs
In 2008, the Black Hornet drone was initially developed by Prox Dynamics. It was the early and prototype stage for this company. After extensive licensing and testing, Prox Dynamics began production in 2012, and it delivered more than 100 units between 2012 and 2013. In 2016, Flir Systems acquired this company for $134 million.
The Black Hornet drone is one of the most successful military drones ever made by Flir Systems. With this great success, Flir upgraded the previous Black Hornet and developed the new Black Hornet 3 Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS). The US military is one of the best customers of this black hornet. Due to its popularity and capabilities, many countries are now importing this nano beast.
Why is it so special?
This black hornet drone is designed to help front-line soldiers make proper decisions for a high success rate on any mission. This drone is not equipped with explosives, but it is still afraid of many enemies. It can monitor and send a live video stream to the operator silently. EO/IR technology helps it capture images and videos in different light scenarios.
Not only that, it can capture thermal images of any site. It uses the GSSN navigation system for outdoor operations but its vision-based navigation system for indoor functions, allowing it to be used for many military applications.
The Teal’s Golden Eagle vs. the Black Hornet
Teal drones recently worked with Reveal technology to create a multi-drone mapping system with a 4-ship model. And the most famous of the teal drones is the Golden Eagle.
The golden eagle is much more capable than the black hornet, but it lacks one feature: the size and noise level.
Both drones are the best in their clan. Choosing the perfect solution depends on the situation.
In conclusion, we can say, this black hornet drone is not a new concept, but it is innovative because of its size. Packing the sensor equipment into such a compact airframe widens the industries where UAS can be used.
Do you know how anti-drone systems work? Read it here
