US Army orders Black Hornets
FLIR Systems has received a $2.6 million order from the US Army to deliver FLIR Black Hornet personal reconnaissance systems, the company announced on 30 May.
The UAS will support squad-level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the army’s first batch order for the Soldier Borne Sensor programme.
The army purchased Black Hornet for test and evaluation purposes in 2016 and 2017. The army will continue to evaluate and consider broader scale roll out of the Black Hornet for full operational deployment within all infantry units.
James Cannon, president and CEO of FLIR Systems, said: ‘The US Army’s selection of FLIR to provide the Black Hornet personal reconnaissance systems in this initial delivery of the Soldier Borne Sensor programme represents a key opportunity to provide soldiers in every US Army squad a critical advantage on the modern battlefield.
‘This contract demonstrates the strong demand for nano-drone technology offered by FLIR and opens the way for broad deployment across all branches of the military. We’re proud to provide the highly-differentiated Black Hornet PRS to help support the US government to achieve the objective of protecting its warfighters.’
Deliveries of the systems will take place in 2018.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments]()
AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.
-
![US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS]()
US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS
The service has been using a Directed Requirement (DR) approach to speed up the deployment of a Medium Range Reconnaissance capability.
-
![AeroVironment to display eVTOL P550 at AUSA 2024]()
AeroVironment to display eVTOL P550 at AUSA 2024
AeroVironment’s portfolio will grow thanks to the eVTOL P550 aimed at battalion-level tactical forces.
-
![Australia’s air force aims its UAV fleet northwards]()
Australia’s air force aims its UAV fleet northwards
The Royal Australian Air Force is advancing its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities across three key programmes as it works with the likes of Boeing and Northrop Grumman to reshape Australia’s defence strategy.
-
![FTUAS competitor trials were “very successful”, says US Army official]()
FTUAS competitor trials were “very successful”, says US Army official
Prototypes from Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems recently passed through MOSA conformance trials and flight tests.
-
![Pentagon adds Replicator 2 to budget request with focus on C-sUAS capabilities]()
Pentagon adds Replicator 2 to budget request with focus on C-sUAS capabilities
Funds for the second phase of this effort will be allocated in the US Department of Defense (DoD) FY2026 budget request.
