Sun, Feb 23, 2025
Teledyne FLIR’s Next-Gen Nano-Drone Best Of Dozens Competing
Teledyne FLIR Defense announced that its Black Hornet 4 nano-drone was selected as a winner of the Blue UAS Refresh Challenge hosted by the Defense Innovation Unit of the Department of Defense. The Black Hornet 4 is a next-generation lightweight nano-drone weighing just 70 grams.
The drone has a 12-megapixel daytime camera and high-resolution thermal imager that delivers crisp video and still images to the operator. It can fly for over 30 minutes, more than 3 km, and functions in 25-knot winds and rain.
The flight performance of Black Hornet 4 is aided by advanced obstacle avoidance capabilities and other technologies. It has very low visual and audible signatures, enabling it to identify and monitor threats without detection.
Over three dozen military drone users tested nearly 40 UAS products and capabilities in the competition in support of DoD’s expanding requirements for better drone technology for modern warfighting.
The Blue UAS testing process vets and verifies commercial drone technology and products for DoD, and as a result of winning the Blue UAS Refresh, the Black Hornet 4 will begin the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and cyber security verification process required to become part of the Blue UAS list with an Authority to Operate (ATO).
The Blue UAS list provides users access to the approved, NDAA-compliant range of commercial drone systems that fulfill their needs.
Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense said, “Black Hornet 4 has been extremely well received by the warfighter since it was first introduced in late 2023. We are very proud to see Black Hornet 4 selected as a winner of Blue UAS Refresh and are confident this unique drone will continue to have a huge impact for all operators across all missions.
“Along with having already been selected for the U.S. Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor Tranche 2 program, this latest achievement will make Black Hornet 4 available to an even larger cohort of users.”
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