Teledyne FLIR to Produce 1,000 Pocket-Sized Drones for Use in Ukraine

July 27, 2023

Norway's Ministry of Defense placed an order with Teledyne FLIR Defense last week to procure 1,000 additional pocket-sized Black Hornet 3 drones. (Image: Teledyne FLIR)

Norway's Ministry of Defense (MOD) has placed an order with Teledyne FLIR Defense to procure Black Hornet 3 Personal Reconnaissance Systems for use in Ukraine. The order includes spare parts, maintenance, and training for Ukrainian operators and instructors.

The Black Hornet 3 is designed and manufactured by Teledyne FLIR in Norway. The pocket-sized drone weighs 33 grams and has a total length of 168 millimeters. According to Teledyne FLIR, the drone can fly for up to 25 minutes, and transmits live video and imagery to the dismounted soldier or operator through an encrypted link.

“Ukraine is very satisfied with previous Norwegian deliveries of this type of reconnaissance drone,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said in a statement.

Following the announcement of the new order placed by the Norwegian MOD last week, on July 24, Teledyne FLIR announced a new five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to $93.9 million to provide the Black Hornet 3 to the United States Army.

In 2018 the U.S. Army began acquiring Black Hornet 3s as part of its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program. Since then, the Army has placed orders totaling more than $125 million for the Black Hornet.

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