On Monday, reddit user Seventy_Seven (a college student from MA) submitted a bunch of pictures of a mystery package he received in the mail. His conclusion: “Did I just get a drone in the mail?”
User ArrigJyde responded: It’s a PUMA UAV. I’ve had a section of these with me on operations in Afghanistan. It has a range of up to 22 kilometres, has a gyro stabilized, HD, thermal camera. The remote is a little like a Wii U remote, only it’s probably more expensive 🙂 The UAV can be hand launched, but the propeller needs to be running at max rpm and there is a serious risk of damage to the operator. Even though the blades are made from plastic, they will easily sever a finger! You get around two hours of flight time on a charged battery – depending on temperature and altitude. If there is a data antenna, in the set you can receive live footage from the UAV. Once you go through the systems check, make sure to calibrate GPS and set a “home” location. That way, if you lose contact with it, it’ll return home and land or allow you to redirect it, if signal is regained. Lastly, the thing will take a beating! Don’t play chicken with this thing, I’ve seen one go half way through a car door.
Check out the pictures of the wayward PUMA, valued at $35o,000: