FLIR Systems, a strong competitor in the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, has received a $2.6 million United States Army order for delivery of FLIR Black Hornet® Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS).
The units delivered under this contract will support squad-level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the Army’s first batch order for the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program.
The United States Army purchased the Black Hornet PRS from FLIR for test and evaluation purposes in both 2016 and 2017.
(Learn More in an interview with Arne Skjaerpe, the vice president for UAV operations at FLIR Systems about the Black Hornet. Courtesy of Roswell Flight Test Crew and YouTube. Posted on Jun 12, 2017)
The Black Hornet is a tiny drone that can be carried and deployed by individual soldiers.
The aircraft weighs just 18 grams and is available in “day” and “night” versions with different cameras.
With a range of up to one mile, the Black Hornet provides a live video feed to the operator on a chest-mounted display.
The total system, including two aircraft, a controller and the video screen weighs less than three pounds.
The controller has been optimized for single-handed operation.
The Army will continue its evaluation and consider broader scale roll out of the Black Hornet for full operational deployment within all infantry units.
“The United States Army’s selection of FLIR to provide the Black Hornet PRS in this initial delivery of the Soldier Borne Sensor program represents a key opportunity to provide soldiers in every U.S. Army squad a critical advantage on the modern battlefield,” explained James Cannon, President and CEO of FLIR Systems.
“This contract demonstrates the strong demand for nano-drone technology offered by FLIR and opens the way for broad deployment across all branches of the military.”
“We’re proud to provide the highly-differentiated Black Hornet PRS to help support the U.S. Government to achieve the objective of protecting its warfighters.”
(Learn More about how the U.S. Army is maximizing soldier equipment and survivability on the battlefield, to allow them to see what’s out there for special awareness on the battlefield. Courtesy of PEO Soldier and YouTube. Posted on Sep 12, 2017.)
This contract expands the use of FLIR’s Black Hornet PRS for military surveillance and reconnaissance programs.
FLIR has delivered the Black Hornet PRS systems to 30 nations around the world, and the U.S. Army will receive the latest generation of the system under the SBS program with deliveries to will take place in 2018.
FLIR Systems at a Glance
FLIR Systems is a world-leading maker of sensor systems that enhance perception and heighten awareness, helping to save lives, improve productivity, and protect the environment.
FLIR’s vision is to be ‘The World’s Sixth Sense’ by leveraging thermal imaging and adjacent technologies to provide innovative, intelligent solutions for security and surveillance, environmental and condition monitoring, outdoor recreation, machine vision, navigation, and advanced threat detection.
FLIR Systems Competes in 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
AST focuses on Homeland Security and Public Safety Breaking News, the Newest Initiatives and Hottest Technologies in Physical & IT Security, essential to meeting today’s growing security challenges.
The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of Physical, IT, Port Security, Law Enforcement, Border Security, First Responders, (Fire, EMT, Military, Support Services Vets, SBA, Medical Tech) as well as the Federal, State, County and Municipal Government Agencies – to acknowledge their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
As an ‘ASTORS’ competitor, FLIR will be competing against the industry’s leading providers of Innovative Perimeter Protection Systems.
To Learn More about the ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, see 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners Honored at ISC East.
Over 100 distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government, gathered from across North America and the Middle East to be honored from disciplines across the Security Industry in their respective fields which included representatives from:
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies
- Leaders in Private Security
