Profile
- Type
- Nano reconnaissance UAV
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- Norway
- Service note
- 2010s-present
Aircraft & UAVs
Black Hornet
The Black Hornet is a pocket-sized military nano-UAV used by dismounted troops for short-range reconnaissance, target identification, and immediate situational awareness. In Ukraine, donated Black Hornet 3 systems give small units a low-signature day and thermal sensor that can look over obstacles, into urban terrain, and around trench lines without exposing an operator.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built by
- Teledyne FLIR Defense
- Built in
- NorwayUnited States
Service History
- In service
- Delivered to Ukraine from 2022; Black Hornet PRS systems are fielded by military and security forces in more than 40 countries.
- Used by
- Ukrainian forces, Norwegian Armed Forces, British Army, U.S. Army
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Prox Dynamics AS / Teledyne FLIR Defense
- Built by
- Teledyne FLIR Defense
- Built in
- NorwayUnited States
- Number built
- More than 14,000 Black Hornet PRS systems delivered as of July 2023
- Variants
- Black Hornet 3, Black Hornet 4
Specifications
- Role
- Personal reconnaissance system for dismounted soldiers
- Weight
- 33 g for Black Hornet 3 air vehicle
- Length
- 168 mm for Black Hornet 3
- Endurance
- Up to 25 minutes
- Sensors
- Live visible and thermal video with HD still imagery
- Armament
- Unarmed
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Norway and the United Kingdom funded Black Hornet micro-UAV donations to Ukraine for reconnaissance and target identification, with Teledyne FLIR later contracted to supply 1,000 additional Black Hornet 3 systems for Ukrainian operators.
Black Hornet Images
Related Weapon Systems
.jpg?width=480)
DJI Matrice 300 RTKCommercial quadcopter UAVThe DJI Matrice 300 RTK is a Chinese commercial enterprise quadcopter built around long-endurance inspection, mapping, and public-safety payloads. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as an off-the-shelf UAV in Ukrainian service, where donor-funded sets have been supplied for reconnaissance, observation, and front-line support tasks rather than as a purpose-built military aircraft.
A1-CM FuriaFixed-wing tactical reconnaissance UAVThe A1-CM Furia is a Ukrainian electric fixed-wing tactical UAV built by Athlon Avia for reconnaissance and artillery fire correction. Developed after Ukraine's 2014 need for organic battlefield ISR, it gives Ukrainian units a portable sensor platform for locating targets, transmitting video, and adjusting indirect fire under wartime electronic-warfare pressure.
Bayraktar TB2Medium-altitude long-endurance UAVA Turkish unmanned aircraft used for reconnaissance and strike missions. It became especially prominent in the early phase of the full-scale invasion.
DJI Mavic seriesCommercial quadcopter UAVThe DJI Mavic series is a family of Chinese commercial folding quadcopters that became a mass battlefield UAV in the Russia-Ukraine War. Although designed for civilian imaging, models such as the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Enterprise have been used by both Ukrainian and Russian forces for short-range ISR, artillery correction, situational awareness, and improvised attack roles.
ForpostReconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicleForpost is Russia's license-built and later indigenized derivative of the Israeli IAI Searcher II UAV, used for reconnaissance, target acquisition, artillery-fire adjustment, and in Forpost-R form armed strike missions. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russian forces have used Forpost-R aircraft as higher-value reusable UAVs for surveillance and precision attack roles rather than expendable one-way drones.
FPV dronesFirst-person-view small UAV / one-way attack droneFPV drones are small first-person-view UAVs adapted from racing-drone and commercial quadcopter technology into tactical reconnaissance and attack systems. In the Russia-Ukraine War, both sides use them in large numbers because they can put a live camera feed and operator-guided explosive payload into places that are hard for artillery or larger UAVs to reach, while remaining cheap enough for attritional frontline use.Sources
Black Hornet 3 PRSPublisher: Teledyne FLIR Defense | Note: Supports manufacturer background, role description, and Black Hornet 3 reconnaissance system capabilities. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Teledyne FLIR Defense Awarded Contract to Supply 1,000 More Black Hornet Nano-Drones to UkrainePublisher: Teledyne FLIR Defense | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use, delivery, transfer, and Ukrainian operator context for Black Hornet 3 systems. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Norwegian-developed drone to UkrainePublisher: Norwegian Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use, delivery, transfer, and Ukrainian-requested reconnaissance role for Black Hornet systems. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Black Hornet Nano Helicopter UAVPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary Black Hornet photo; Commons lists Richard Watt/MOD, Crown Copyright, under the UK Open Government Licence v1.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Black Hornet Nano - Mission AiglePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the gallery image; Commons lists Etat-major des armees under Licence Ouverte 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20