FLIR CEO on the Black Hornet and Thermal Imaging for Drones

Earlier this year the Roswell Test Flight Crew interviewed CEO Andy Teich of FLIR (pronounced Fleer) on the Black Hornet and thermal imaging for drones. The Black Hornet is manufactured by Prox Dynamics a firm that FLIR acquired late last year. The drone, designed for military applications, is currently the world’s smallest (about the length of a pencil) and lightest unmanned aerial system at less than ounce About the length of a pencil. It can fly up to 25 minutes in close quarters quietly and up to 25 MPH for distances up to a mile. It uses a single main rotor, versus the more common quad-copter design. The Black Hornet is virtually undetectable from 15 feet away.

The Black Hornet is FLIR’s is a first for FLIR, a company that dominates the thermal imaging market. They have designed and manufactured a number of thermal imaging cameras (the Vue series of thermal cameras and the DJI Zenmuse XT ) but this is their first proprietary product.

Here is the interview with Mr. Teich, courtesy of the Roswell Flight Test Crew.