The U.S. military is stockpiling drones for infantry

The U.S. Army is actively equipping its infantry with Black Hornet UAVs to help soldiers inspect an area while remaining invisible to the enemy.

The Black Hornet micro drone is the brainchild of the Norwegian company Prox Dynamics. The small-sized device is highly maneuverable, which makes it very useful for intelligence operations. Prox Dynamics was later acquired by FLIR Systems (US) and Black Hornet got a night vision functionality.

The device can take photos and videos in all conditions. The maximum flight time is about half an hour — quite enough to detect an enemy. Since the drone is completely silent, the risk of being detected is zero.

The device comes with a ground control panel, featuring a controller and two displays — for day and night operations. It is known that the U.S. Army has already spent $40 million on the acquisition of these drones.

The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division are already equipped with the first Black Hornet devices.