Teledyne FLIR Wins $17.5M armasuisse Contract for Black Hornet 4 Drones

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Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, announced that it has received a $17.5 million contract from armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office of Defence Procurement, to deliver a large number of Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems, one of the world’s most advanced and widely deployed nano-drones. Black Hornet 4 was selected as an airborne dismountable Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability sensor for armasuisse’s Piranha 8x8 Armored engineering vehicle program.

As part of the effort, Black Hornet’s existing software has been modified to be integrated with the Piranha’s digital infrastructure. Under the setup, the drone’s live video stream will be shared on vehicle displays and provide target data, coordinates, and other situational awareness to vehicle commanders and crew. The Black Hornet 4 will be integrated through harmonized military standards with the vehicles’ Integrated Combat Solution (ICS), provided by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Drone operators will be able to connect the Black Hornet control tablet to the vehicle ICS for either dismounted or mobile operations. After launching the UAV by hand out of the vehicle, operators can fly the Black Hornet on intelligence gathering missions while all data is simultaneously shared with the crew. Among its features, the Black Hornet can both receive waypoints from the ICS for further reconnaissance as well as generate target points that can be fed to the vehicle’s Remote Weapon Station. The solution is fully detachable during operations, so operators can dismount from the vehicle and reattach while the drone is flying.

“This first fielded-vehicle integration for the Black Hornet 4 highlights its unique tactical capabilities as a force multiplier,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense and senior vice president of Teledyne Technologies. “By providing the same immediate situational data to all vehicle systems and crew, we can help reduce cognitive burden and boost warfighting effectiveness.

“The armasuisse program shows the market potential for UAS integration on armored vehicles globally and the promise of ‘drone-in-a-box’ systems FLIR Defense has developed specifically for vehicles, including our Black Recon™ and SkyCarrier™ solutions,” Lei added.

Black Hornet 4 represents the next generation of lightweight nano-drones, able to provide enhanced day/night covert situational awareness to small fighting units. Its 12-megapixel daytime camera and high-resolution thermal imager deliver crisp video and still images to the operator. At just 70 grams Black Hornet 4 can survive GPS-denied and contested environments, fly for more than 30 minutes, over three kilometers, and function in 25-knot winds and rain. Flight performance is augmented by advanced obstacle avoidance capabilities and other features.

The vehicle-integrated Black Hornet 4’s were delivered in 2025. The remaining systems will be delivered during 2026.

Teledyne FLIR has delivered more than 35,000 Black Hornet drones to military and security forces in over 45 countries. The award-winning Black Hornet is designed and built by Teledyne FLIR Defense in Norway.