Teledyne FLIR's Black Recon - a game-changer
for both military and civilian environments
When Teledyne FLIR unveiled Black Recon - its entirely new micro UAV - the benefits were clear. Designed and built to be vehicle mounted, with highly advanced sensors and low SWaP, the new technology offers continuous untethered reconnaissance delivering unrivalled situational awareness in increasingly dynamic battlegrounds. But as work on the project continues apace, with Black Recon set to be available to fighting forces in 2026, the wider use cases of the project and prospects for civilian use not only broaden its appeal, but cement its potential as a game-changing solution.
What is Black Recon?
Designed by Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, Black Recon™ allows crews to autonomously launch and operate small drones from inside a military vehicle. These micro UAVs can then perform reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) before being recovered back to the vehicle. This means fewer risks to personnel, more dynamic mission capabilities and the potential for more effective tactical operations in increasingly fast-paced battlefield environments.
Fitted inside a hardened launch box mounted to a vehicle, Black Recon's unique deployment system can launch up to three UAVs during a mission, ensuring continuity in surveillance and prolonged mission time. When one drone returns, a unique cradle-arm autonomously recovers it using patented technology to precisely track, capture and dock the UAV - day or night, even in poor weather. Drones are then automatically recharged for the next mission, so while one is carrying out surveillance the other two can be charging and ready for use.
Black Recon boasts state-of-the-art camera technology, including a thermal and visual payload that delivers live imagery and targeting information to vehicle crews. Operators can use the system for a wide range of missions, such as assessing if terrain is passable, sweeping for mines and improvised explosive devices, or performing close-up inspection under bridges. The system provides high-precision RSTA and can perform GNSS-denied operations. Black Recon's UAV also can be fitted with an optional Mission Module. Attached to the airframe, the module can be dropped from the aircraft to provide different types of sensors or effectors at tactically-important locations.
Bespoke design for vehicle use
While some drone systems are adapted from usage for dismounted soldiers, Black Recon has been designed for vehicle use from the ground up, explains Widar Halvorsen, Director of Vehicle Reconnaissance Systems at Teledyne FLIR Defense. "That's a big difference from much of what you see in the market today. Other UAV suppliers have not factored in these different requirements from the beginning. Black Recon needs to be hard mounted into sophisticated military vehicles, so we began with those criteria before we started development. Often you see that someone has a UAV and then says, 'let's try to adapt it to a vehicle.' There's a big risk with that approach."
Black Recon's design means rather than dismounted soldiers or the unit having to request and then wait for air support, they already have the capability with them. "It's mounted on the vehicle and already part of the vehicle subsystem, which is vital because the tempo of military operations is so fast nowadays," adds Halvorsen.
A solution for increasingly dynamic warfare
Such immediate UAV deployment capability allows ground forces to carry out reconnaissance beyond their effective weapons range. It also enables continuous surveillance for dynamic decision-making, helping unit commanders track enemy movement, says Halvorsen. "If you have a battle tank or infantry fighting vehicle, they can engage targets at a range of 3-4 km. But we need to be out to 5-6 km to see the threat before they are engaged. With three Black Recon UAVs in the box, each able to fly for 45 to 60 minutes, you can have constant eyes on target. One UAV over the target, a second en route to relieve it, and a third in the box being charged. Three UAVs allow you to have 24/7 overwatch."
As well as constant surveillance, the system also quickens operational decision-making and execution. "Say you have one platoon of four to five vehicles going into a combat situation," explains Halvorsen. "If two of the vehicles have Black Recon UAV capability, they can scout and map enemy positions. They then provide this target information directly back to all vehicles, mapping it for the platoon commander before he engages. So, when the platoon actually starts operations, they have all target coordinates already in the system and can engage so fast the enemy won't know what hit them."
"The UAVs can then deliver live feedback, so you get battle damage assessments right away," Halvorsen adds. "It's all about speed and enabling rapid decision-making. Whereas previously a platoon might have to wait for an aircraft or satellite to fly over and capture imagery, which creates a time lag, Black Recon gives you immediate situational awareness."
And throughout all of this, Black Recon's autonomous launch and recovery system ensures personnel stay protected inside their vehicle, keeping operator risk to a minimum.
Top quality and low SWaP
Teledyne FLIR's experience producing market-leading nano-drones makes it well placed to create an Unmanned Aerial System that is small, but also can meet the requirements of high-speed, high-endurance flight times and function in rugged environments, explains Halvorsen. While size is important, so are other elements, and Black Recon presents a sweet spot between low size, weight and power (SWaP) and state-of-the-art sensors and technology. Although larger than Teledyne FLIR's Black Hornet® nano-UAV, at less than 450 grams Black Recon is still comparatively small, yet also offers high-definition cameras and sensors. "We use similar technology as in our Black Hornet," says Halvorsen, "but Black Recon has more cameras and features."
With the proliferation of radio jamming in today's conflicts, the extra cameras and sensors enable effective autonomous flying, thus making it worth a small compromise on weight and size, which Halvorsen says is more important than ever. "Normally when you fly a UAV, you use a radio link, and radio links are very often jammed. We've seen that in Ukraine with jamming and spoofing. With more cameras we can do autonomous flights, employing the cameras to help manoeuvre through cities or on roads using video-assisted navigation. That's why we focus a lot on our cameras, because if the UAVs encounter jamming, we can still complete the mission based on the planning done upfront."
Widar Halvorsen, Director of Vehicle Reconnaissance Systems at Teledyne FLIR Defense at AUSA
Civilian use case opportunities
While Black Recon has been designed mainly with military use in mind, its development has seen the emergence of clear potential for civilian use cases. One such use is a first responder role for police forces, especially in rural areas in large countries, explains Halvorsen. "For example, in Norway we have 5.5 million people, and we are a big country. In areas with fewer police personnel, such as in smaller communities, the Black Recon box can be stationed to act as an unmanned first responder. The UAVs can fly out and check on a reported situation quickly and easily, whereas it could take an hour or more for ground units to drive from the main police station to a remote district. Because the box is ruggedised, it can be mounted outdoors - on the roof of a building, for example. A Black Recon UAV can be autonomously launched and flown to distant locations so information can be shared and assessed before personnel are dispatched."
Another use could be for camp security in a forward operating base or similar forward location, such as in Afghanistan. "You could have UAVs flying 24/7 to scout the base, checking perimeters and nearby surroundings." Similarly, Black Recon could be used to police borders and carry out airborne patrols between manned towers in order to provide situational awareness and ongoing reconnaissance. Another use could be for marine-based patrols, allowing surveillance upstream on rivers and deltas rather than committing patrol boats, suggests Halvorsen. Yet another suggestion is the technology could even be mounted on submarines and launched when they surface briefly, providing eyes on possible targets or threats from above while the sub dives back out of sight.
"The potential here is enormous," says Halvorsen. "As long as you have a network or ethernet connection - fibre optic, radio or satellite - and battery power to the system, whether that's a solar panel or generator - then you can operate it. You could place Black Recon on the North Pole and operate it. There are almost limitless possibilities with a system like this."
While Black Recon is eagerly awaited, its development time reflects a desire to perfect the technology that ensures it will not only prove game-changing in a military environment, but could also serve a wide range of other use cases, bringing enhanced situational awareness with maximum protection to a wide range of scenarios.
For more information please visit:
https://www.flir.co.uk
