Pocket-size choppers for soldiers, first responders

Good news for soldiers, first responders, and law enforcement. Norwegian microcopter researchers say they have now successfully tested the cigarette-packet-sized PD-100 Black Hornet vidcam whirlybird — outdoors. The firm has also released video of the tiny aircraft in indoor flight tests.

Lewis Page writes that the PD-100 is not the same as a garden-variety remote control toy copter — these toys do not offer full control as a real chopper does: there is no real option to hover in one place, speed up, decelerate, etc. Remote-control copters which can as a real full-size one are comparatively large, complex, and expensive — in fact, some of them are full size.

The special feature the PD-100, developed by Nesbru, Norway-based Prox Dynamics, is tiny control servos — “the smallest and lightest in the world, weighing less than 0.5 grams.” Thus a PD-100 is even smaller than a typical toy battery-copter, but has full control and is able to hover and to achieve airspeeds approaching 20 mph.

The latest prototype, the Hornet-3a, was flown outdoors in light winds earlier this month. The test was reported by Flight Global’s Rob Coppinger. According to a Prox Dynamics statement:

The advanced flight controls system makes the Hornet-3a very easy to fly. Being able to operate the 15 grams UAV outdoors in wind and gust is considered a vital part of its operational capabilities. It is also one of the most challenging tasks for the flight controls and autopilot system. A major milestone was therefore reached on April 7th when the Hornet-3a made its first flights outdoors.

With the Norwegian snow still present the Hornet-3a was flown in dry conditions with light variable wind up to 2 m/s. The aircraft showed no adverse controllability issues either in hover or during high speed passes. Over distance the Hornet-3a was able to maintain an average horizontal speed of 7 m/s with a maximum airspeed of 8 m/s. The test also confirmed some of the low signature capabilities of the system. Outside a distance of approximately three meters the sound from the helicopter was completely drowned by the ambient noise.

The full PD-100 microcopter, just over 10 cm long, would easily fit in a flat pocket-sized case. It will be controlled from a handheld gadget offering video from the camera, simple manual controls, and “route following” using GPS, though this would not work inside buildings. The little aircraft will even offer auto-hovering hands off, with the ability to resist gusts of wind to some degree; and “deployment of special payload” (very small payload). Flight reports that endurance on a battery charge is expected to be 30 minutes.

The idea is that soldiers might carry a few Black Hornets in a pocket. If they fancied a look inside a building, over a hill or crest, down a tunnel or something, they would launch an almost-silent palmtop microcopter for reconnaissance. Should the tiny chopper run into trouble due to flat batteries or something else, no matter — several cheap replacements could easily be carried. The standard package will come with three aircraft, a pocket controller, and a charger.

Black Hornet is not quite the smallest microvidcopter design around (see “DARPA Awards Lockheed Nano-copter Contract, 2 March 2009 HS Daily Wire) — nor the stealthiest - but, says Page, it appears to be nearest to reaching service. “First delivery of an operational system is expected by the end of next year,” according to Prox Dynamics.