FLIR Systems Inc. has announced the launch of its latest UAS, the Black Hornet 3 nano UAS, which is designed for use by global militaries, government agencies, and first responders.

FLIR’s Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) is already the “world’s smallest combat-proven” nano-UAS. The next generation Black Hornet 3 nano UAS adds the ability to navigate in GPS-denied environments, giving the warfighter the ability to maintain situational awareness, threat detection, and surveillance no matter the location of the mission.

“We are excited to bring this advanced Black Hornet 3 to our warfighters and first responders,” says James Cannon, President and CEO of FLIR.

“The Black Hornet 3 is representative of FLIR’s new focus on providing full-solution technology, and we look forward to playing a role in helping modernize our military customers.”

Weighing just 32 grams, the Black Hornet 3 offers the lowest size, weight, and performance (SWAP) for UAS available, according to FLIR.

The Black Hornet 3 offers a variety of improvements over previous versions of the UAS, including improved speed and distance, with the ability to fly two kilometers at speeds of over 21 kilometers an hour.

The Black Hornet 3 also incorporates sharper imaging processing, featuring the FLIR Lepton thermal microcamera core and a visible sensor, allowing greater image fidelity.

The Black Hornet 3’s design also features “an improved encrypted military-approved digital datalink,” which allows for seamless communications and imagery significantly beyond line-of-sight (BLOS), as well as in closed areas.

FLIR says that the Black Hornet 3 UAS also “seamlessly integrates into the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK)” used by the military, to provide battlefield networks and distribution of information to anyone on the network.

Over the last seven years, more than 30 nations have fielded the Black Hornet PRS, which in the process has provided immediately available intelligence, target-acquisition, and reconnaissance capability to small combat units, SWAT teams, and first responders.

In late May, FLIR announced that it was awarded a $2.6 million order from the United States Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program to deliver the Black Hornet in a first batch order. Units delivered for the SBS program will be the Black Hornet 3.