This Mini Military Drone Costs Almost $200,000 – Here’s Why

Soldiers carry anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds of gear, so any additional equipment needs to be small and weigh as little as possible. With a total weight of 33 grams (1.16 oz) and an overall size of 10 cm by 2.5 cm, service members can pop out the Black Hornet 3 and deploy it in under a minute whenever they need to get eyes on what’s ahead of them — no special training required. With a total size of 10 cm by 2.5 cm, and a minuscule weight of just over half a pound, service members can pop out the Black Hornet 3 and deploy it in under a minute whenever they need an immediate situational awareness report — no special training required.

This pocket-sized drone can fly for 25 minutes at a time, with a range of 15 miles, but it does not have any payload capabilities. It’s equipped with two electro-optical (EO) cameras for use in daylight and FLIR night vision that can transmit both live video (640×480 EO resolution, 160×120 thermal) and HD still images (1600×1200 EO, 160×120 thermal) back to the operator’s handheld unit.

The BH3 can be flown manually or via auto-pilot, complete with user-selectable waypoints and an automatic return feature. Moreover, it’s designed to give off a very low audible signature allowing it to fly almost silently and thus can be used for clandestine, covert missions.

A new military MQ-9 reaper drone costs $32 million, and while it does have a far different use and range — it’s still expensive. Meanwhile, the BH3 “only” costs $195,000 and can be deployed on a much larger scale to help boots-on-the-ground soldiers navigate the battlefield safer and more efficiently.