Teledyne FLIR Defense Wins $91 million deal for Black Hornet 4 UAS
The Black Hornet 4 UAS has been designed to be easy for soldiers to carry and launch quickly. (Photo: Teledyne FLIR Defense)
Teledyne FLIR Defense will supply the US Army with Black Hornet 4 nano-UAS under a five-year deal which could be worth up to US$91 million, adding to the total $215 million spent on Black Hornet 3 nano-UAS by the army.
The Black Hornet 4s are being acquired under the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme Phase II and an initial order of $25 million has been placed which includes controllers, spare parts and training. Deliveries are expected to start in September.
The US Army began acquiring Black Hornet 3 systems for the original SBS programme in 2018 and has placed orders totalling more than $215 million under this requirement.
Black Hornets are in service with more than 40 countries and designed to support special operations and small unit surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The latest version provides substantial improvements over the previous version with endurance increased from 25 minutes to 35 minutes and altitude doubled to 20,000ft. The speed increased to 36kmh from 21kmh and it can now operate in winds of 25kt as opposed to 10kt.
The endurance has been taken to 40 minutes under trials with the US Army. While the declared range was 2km, the army has again had the platform out to 3.5km.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Colombia confirms Gripen E/F buy, final negotiations still underway
The country was reportedly “months” away from an official aircraft selection, as of mid-March 2025.
-
Portugal joins Embraer and Brazil on C-390 ISR capabilities study
The ongoing study was first announced by Embraer in late 2024 with the Brazilian Air Force, with this latest addition announced during the LAAD defence and security exhibition.
-
Philippines approved for potential $5.5 billion F-16 aircraft purchase
The potential sale, approved by the US to the Philippines, is for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, days after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visited the country.
-
Sweden commits to acquire four C-390 Millennium aircraft
The acquisition of four C-390 aircraft follows the country’s signing of an MoU in 2023 and formal selection in 2024. It will join the existing contract held by the Netherlands and Austria.
-
Airbus to fly new CUAS UAV prototype this year
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.