A Nano drone refers to a micro-manned aerial vehicle developed by Prox Dynamics as Company in Norway. These drones’ development aimed to reduce the weight, sizes, and costs associated with drone technology. The Nano drones have been deployed by armed forces of various countries such as Germany, the United States of America, France, India, and the United Kingdom to provide situational awareness on the ground (while they are on air), around corners, over walls, or any other obstacle. It’s vital to note that the drones were developed as part of a contract with Marlborough Communications Ltd of 160 units for a cost of around 20 million sterling pounds.
The Nano drone also comes with several viable military features, which includes
- The drones are designed to blend with the environment and comfortably run on quit electric motors over walls, corners, and other obstacles for about 20 minutes.
- The Nano drones measure approximately 10 x 2.5cm and weighs around half an ounce, which can fit a person’s arm, increasing its portability.
- They are embedded with three cameras (one pointing the ground at an angle of 45 degrees, the other pointing straight forward, and lastly looking straight downwards). Those cameras provide the troops with clear still images and full-motion videos.
- A full package of these drones comes with two of those helicopters. Each drone achieves a 90 percent charge in a span of approximately 20 to 25 minutes. With this percentage of cost, it can hover over the enemy base within the same time (at a top speed of 18kilometers per hour) before returning to its operator. It ensures that by the moment it requires to be recharged.
- Tare connected to a handheld terminal controlled by an operator, and a small box that can be strapped to a belt. The box is used to store the transmitted data as the drone itself does not store any data. It is a precautionary measure if the enemy catches the drone.
In 2014, the Prox Dynamics Company unveiled a different version of these drones with night vision capabilities known as PD-100 Black Hornet. This new version of Nano Drones is equipped with both day video sensors and long-wave infrared sensors, transmitting high-resolution video streams of still images and video streams. To transfer those images and videos, the PD-100 Black Hornet uses a digital link with a range of close to 1.6 kilometers. Due to its new refinements of night vision, improved navigational capabilities, and reconfiguration of the data link, the PD-100 Black Hornet was selected by the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Centre as part of the Cargo Pocket Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance program.