FLIR’s black hornets are to be feared

An infantry Army battalion will soon be the first to employ pocket-sized drones—specifically FLIR Systems‘ Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System—in their upcoming Afghanistan deployment. These drones have been tested in the past, and are expected to provide near-real time video that will allow soldiers to better survey their surroundings and detect enemies in combat. The battalion’s goal is to figure out how to “best leverage the system” so that the devices can become standard kit for units across the US Army.

FLIR Systems has several patent documents in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles sector, including applications for calculating the distance to a ground target and for path-based flight maneuvering. The company’s IP shows that its technologies are well-suited for military applications.