World Defense Show 2026: Rostec unveils new infantry fighting vehicle
The latest infantry fighting vehicle from Rosoboronexport draws on experience from the war in Ukraine, and is designed to be more lethal and more survivable than its predecessors.
The top speed of Black Hornet 4 was more than 50% faster than Black Hornet 3. (Photo: Teledyne Flir Defense)
Physically, the most notable change to Teledyne Flir Defense’s new Black Hornet 4 nano-UAS has been in the weight which has more than doubled from 32g to 70g. The forward fuselage has remained largely the same size but one company official described the capability change as ‘Black Hornet 3 on steroids’.
Sensor and processing capability were where the biggest changes have occurred, according to Nils-Andreas Haagenrud, senior director of UAS programmes (US) at Flir Defense, which has been driven by customers in 44 countries already using 20,000 Black Hornet systems.
The previous version has a thermal sensor and an EO camera
Already have an account? Log in
The latest infantry fighting vehicle from Rosoboronexport draws on experience from the war in Ukraine, and is designed to be more lethal and more survivable than its predecessors.
The Rhino 4x4 protected vehicle is being manufactured for an undisclosed country, likely to be Singapore, while its Agil counter-UAS C2 system is in low-rate production.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in its land forces, notably in the area of air defence as recently as 30 January, is a sign of the challenges the Gulf State faces, particularly the threat from Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Hybrid-electric drive technology may address the growing energy demands of land warfare in future.
The Common Armoured Vehicle System is continuing to rack up orders as the British Army looks likely to become an operator of the vehicle, while Italy and Ireland are also contenders.
As the US Department of Defense looks to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems to improve homeland security, the DroneHunter acquisition could point to future commercial innovation.