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| Science & Technology |
| US Army soldiers will soon be armed with these game-changing drones that fit in the palm of your hand |
| 2019-02-02 |
| [Bus Insider] Pocket-sized drones are on their way to US Army soldiers, offering a better view of the battlefield and giving them a lethal edge over enemies. The Army has awarded FLIR Systems a $39.6 million contract to provide Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Drones, next-level technology which could be a total game changer for US troops in the field, the company revealed in a recent press release. Measuring just 6.6 inches in length and weighing only 1.16 ounces, these "nano unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems" are "small enough for a dismounted soldier to carry on a utility belt," according to FLIR Systems. These drones can provide situational awareness and beyond visual line-of-sight capability day or night at a distance of up to 1.24 miles, covering ground at a max speed of 20 feet per second. The "nearly silent" combat systems can provide constant covert coverage of the battlefield for almost half an hour, transmitting both live video and high-definition photographs back to the operator. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #11 Alas, the helmet on a stick gag will go the way of the MP3 player. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2019-02-02 19:52 |
| #10 ^ This |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-02-02 18:23 |
| #9 Although looking live video from behind cover certainly beats prairie doggin yer noggin into live fire, just to get an update on current events. It might even be able to spot for indirect (grenades and such). |
| Posted by: The peanut gallery 2019-02-02 16:55 |
| #8 "Game changer?" If you are close enuf to the enemy to need these things (or a bayonet), you've got other more pressing issues. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2019-02-02 13:49 |
| #7 I get your point, though I don't see how you can jam M-16. GPS, and remote operated drones, yes. Chemical Reactions - well, if you can affect chemical reactions at a distance, you don't need rifles. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-02-02 13:31 |
| #6 For urban warfare with civilians present these *do* seem like something that would make the poor trooper that wants to look around a corner's life just a bit easier. For "Near Peer Warfare" I start getting an image of a what happens when people start fielding small mortars with passive HF/DF and *Bloop!* drop a grenade on anyone trying to control one of these. |
| Posted by: magpie 2019-02-02 13:30 |
| #5 No... In Soldier, Ask Not(1967) the troopers were all armed with "spring rifles" (Hi-tech crossbows ?) that were inferior to weapons a common street thug could carry. But they couldn't be disabled by standard jamming fielded by all major militaries of the time. |
| Posted by: magpie 2019-02-02 13:17 |
| #4 Don't you mean Clarke's "Superiority", magpie? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-02-02 12:14 |
| #3 Another, Gee!Whiz! Wonder-gadget article. Shortly afterwards people will start deploying disposable jammers that will fry the radio spectrum... Life will follow the Science Fiction written in the 60's -- such as Gordon R. Dickson 's Soldier, Ask Not(1967) where the soldiers had fewer electronic toys than the average civilian... |
| Posted by: magpie 2019-02-02 11:13 |
| #2 At this point, I'm less interested in the tech than against whom it will be used. |
| Posted by: charger 2019-02-02 11:07 |
| #1 Next step, arming the drone? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2019-02-02 09:55 |