Christine Thropp
Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies, will deliver Black Hornet 4 personal reconnaissance systems to the U.S. Army under Phase II of the Soldier Borne Sensor program.
The company said Tuesday it was awarded a potential five-year, $91 million Army contract for Black Hornet 4 drones, as well as controllers, spare parts and training, and it already received $25 million in initial orders for the first tranche.
Black Hornet 4 System
The nano drone is developed to provide warfighters with situational awareness through images and video feeds while maintaining safety from a protected position. It is also designed to be easily carried and quickly launched.
The systems are deployed by over 40 countries to provide a quick response when soldiers require area information. The Black Hornet 3 version was acquired by the Army through the original SBS program in 2018.
To date, Teledyne FLIR received orders totaling more than $215 million for the drones and it expects the total Army investment in Black Hornet to be over $250 million by 2030.
“We are honored the Army continues to place its trust in us as drone-of-choice provider for Soldier Borne Sensor, and we’re proud to see our technology making a real difference for warfighters on the battlefield,” said JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense.
