Palm-Size Military Nano-Drone Can Fly 40 Minutes in 50mph Wind

The increasing capabilities of miniature drones has led to their widespread use for monitoring in both civilian and military situations. At the same time, it has led to increased concerns about the lack of rules governing their use, as well as questions as to how they will actually be used by military forces. The British army has bought 30 “nano ‘Bug’ drones” for soldiers to spy on targets up to 2km (1.25 miles) away. The drones are small enough to be held in the palm of one hand, and weigh 196g, about the same as a large smartphone. The British army’s new nano drones were manufactured by UK weapons manufacturer BAE Systems alongside UAVtec, a smaller developer of military drones. The drones have a 40-minute battery life, with the ability to livestream video back to their controllers. The manufacturers said the drone could handle wind speeds as high as 50mph, and had been able to deal with “uncompromising weather” during a recent army war-fighting experiment run by the UK Ministry of Defense, as reported by Theguardian.com and https://i-hls.com/archives/105993.  According to UAVtec, the Bug drone gives immediate full HD situational awareness. The low visual profile and capability in wind conditions makes it the most robust nano UAV in the world. Our thanks to Robin E. Alexander, President ATC, alexander technical[at]gmail[dot]com, for her assistance with this report.