This Is World's Smallest Spy Drones At 33 Gram, But It Keeps US Military Safe In Afghanistan

Earlier this year, the US Army was debating a new piece of technology to equip their infantry division with.

They wanted to give soldiers new pocket-sized drones to help them recon their surroundings while in war zones. And that's what they've just done.

FLIR Systems

Paratroopers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, of the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Afghanistan last month. And they've been issued with the new 'Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System', that they used for the first time last week in Kandahar, a statement read.

Developed by Oregon-based FLIR Systems, the Black Hornet is an unmanned nano-drone small enough to sit in your open palm. It's just 6.6-inches across and weighs less than 33 grams, but has a range of just under 2 km. Despite its size, the drone can fly at a blitzing top speed of 21.48 km/h for up to 25 minutes on a single charge.

Thomas Cieslak/US Army

The drones are pretty hardy, able to withstand temperatures between -10 to 43-degrees Celsius and wind up to 20 knots. But the main point of them though is that they have cameras built in that can capture HD photos and transmit live video feeds to a base unit. The ground control station (GCS) is also small enough to be held in your hand, and communicates with the drone over an encrypted signal.

FLIR Systems

Effectively, it's a tiny spy drone that soldiers can easily carry with them on foot, and use to monitor their surroundings or scope out a location for a possible ambush.

The eventual goal is to equip each of the US Army's 7,000 infantry squads with at least one of these drones and control units.