UK military acquires heavy-duty nano drones that can fly in 50 mph winds

BAE Systems on December 28 delivered the first 30 units of nano "Bug" drones to the British Army, which it has developed with UAVTEK, a UK-based drone manufacturer. This comes a year after the British Defence Ministry had pledged nearly $90 million on projects, including the development of nano UAV technology. According to a press release by BAE Systems, the nano drones delivered to the British Army weigh 196 grams each and can travel within a 2-kilometre range with a battery life that supports flying for 40 minutes. 

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'Can fly in 50 mph winds'

The company said that the British Army has put the Bug drones through their paces as part of a trial. BAE Systems said that during a recent Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) event hosted by the UK Ministry of Defence’s Future Capability Group, Bug was the only nano-UAV able to cope with the uncompromising weather. BAE Systems claims that Bug is a super lightweight but heavy-duty UAV and is able to fly in 50 mph winds.

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"In even the toughest weather, the Bug can deliver vital tactical intelligence on what’s around the corner or over the next hill, working autonomously to give troops a visual update. Combined with our other information advantage products, this video feed could be shared multi-domain, enabling commanders on land, sea, and air to increase their situational awareness and inform their decisions," James Gerard, Principal Technologist, BAE Systems’ Applied Intelligence said in a statement. 

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The Bug has a high-resolution camera and four robust rotors with antennas that give it a range of 2 kilometres. The company has said that it could soon include the infra-red detection on the Bug as teams are already working on the next developments. BAE Systems is also working on how the Bug could be integrated with other military equipment in the future. 

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