The buzzing you hear nearby may not be a bug, but rather a tiny drone operated by Army Special Forces.
Soldiers are testing the 18-gram PD-100 Black Hornet, made by Norway’s Prox Dynamics, according to Arne Skjaerpe, CEO and president of Proxdynamics USA
Stay informed.Stay ahead.
Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most.
Already a member? Log in
The PD-100 has been used operationally for three years, including by the British Brigade Reconnaissance Force in Afghanistan to “check out enemy compounds,” Skjaerpe told Defense One.
The drones launch from a utility belt that is strapped to a small box. The data is stored on the belt, with video streamed to a chest-mounted screen. The operator controls it with a joystick — forward, backward, up and down — or can set it to autopilot.
Each drone system costs roughly $40,000.
Skjaerpe said the Black Hornet is the smallest flying robot ever used in a combat setting.
