Handheld Black Hornet Nano Drones Issued To UK Soldiers

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday February 7, 2013 @08:04PM from the palm-of-your-hand dept.

cylonlover writes "Drones have become a valuable asset for any military force in recent years for both combat and surveillance. But while scanning a warzone from miles away is great from a tactical standpoint, unmanned aircraft can be just as useful in the hands of troops on the ground. That's why British soldiers in Afghanistan have been issued several Black Hornet Nanos, a palm-sized UAV that can scout around corners and obstacles for hidden dangers. Each UAV measures just 4 x 1 inches (10 x 2.5cm) and weighs a mere 0.6 ounces (16 grams), making it easy for troops to carry along with the rest of their gear. A built-in camera transmits live video and still images to a handheld control unit at a range of up to half a mile (800 meters)."

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Re:And they are cheap... by 91degrees · 2013-02-07 20:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

Relative to the cost of a soldier this seems reasonable, assuming British soldiers have a similar cost.
Re:And they are cheap... by bmo · 2013-02-07 20:38 · Score: 5, Insightful

This just in: short production runs of 160 pieces have an expensive per-piece cost.
Tooling and R&D aren't free, buddy.
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BMO