Norway to Develop Pocket UAV for U.S. Army
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עברית (Hebrew)
U.S. Army researchers are asking a Norwegian company to develop a pocket-sized helicopter drone to provide a personal reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for infantrymen and Special Forces warfighters.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command in U.S. are awarding a $2.5 million contract to Prox Dynamics AS of Nesbru, Norway, to develop the Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) – a one-pound force-protection micro UAV for soldiers and small infantry units.
According to Military&Aerospace the Army Contracting Command is awarding the contract as part of the Army Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) for the transition of technologies developed by small businesses to solve immediate defense needs.
ProxDynamics researchers will base the Black Hornet pocket UAV on the company’s PD-100 personal reconnaissance system, a mobile unmanned helicopter designed to provide infantry soldiers with immediate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
The Prox Dynamics PD-100 PRS consists of the PD-100 nanocopter UAV and base station. The entire package weighs less than two pounds, excluding display, and measures 8 by 3.5 by 2 inches.
The PD-100 micro UAV system is for applications such as: search and rescue, reconnaissance in confined areas, look behind, between, and below obstacles, birds-eye view for situational awareness, object identification, proximity surveillance, crowd control,nuclear installation inspection, and checking chemical plants after incidents and accidents.
The complete system has some great features. It fits inside a pocket, can be airborne within one minute, operates in confined areas and outdoors, is small and silent, requires little training and no pilot experience, represents no risks to other aircraft or personnel, and is reusable or expendable.
The tiny helicopter UAV’s sensor payload has a steerable electro-optical camera with pan and tilt capability to provide live video and snapshot images.
