US Army shows continued appetite for Black Hornet 3
The Black Hornet 3 nano-UAV. (Photo: USMC/Cpl Thor Larson)
The latest order for FLIR Systems means the US Army has bought more than $85 million worth of Black Hornet 3 nano-UAV technology since 2018.
FLIR Systems announced on 4 May that it has received a contract to deliver more Black Hornet 3 nano-UAVs to the US Army as part of the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme.
Designed and built in Norway, the Black Hornet 3 provides users with the ability to navigate in GPS-denied environments, enabling the warfighter to maintain situational awareness, threat detection and surveillance.
As such, it provides ‘enhanced standoff and safety to troops in harm’s way, which is critical as militaries intensify their plans for multi-domain operations’, said Roger Wells, VP and general manager of FLIR Unmanned Systems & Integrated Solutions.
The 32g UAV includes two sensors, a controller and a display. Black Hornet 3 can fly 2km at more than 21km/h.
FLIR Systems received the first $2.6 million order for the nano-UAV from the US Army in May 2018. Including the latest $15.4 million contract, the US Army has placed orders totalling more than $85 million for Black Hornet 3 in the SBS programme.
The Shephard Defence Insight database also describes orders for Black Hornet 3 from Australia, France, Norway, Poland and the UK.
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