Chinese military micro drone unveiled at Abu Dhabi weapons show
- The tiny Fengniao may be used for public security surveillance and inspecting dangerous chemical warehouses and pipelines, developer says
- It could rival the Black Hornet Nano that has been used by the US military since 2012
The tiny surveillance drone – named Fengniao, or Hummingbird – is just 17cm long and weighs 35 grams.
Its developer, privately owned Huaqing Innovation based in Shenzhen, said it could transmit high-definition images or real-time footage over a distance of more than 2km.
The unmanned aerial vehicle was on show at the Abu Dhabi International Defence Exhibition and Conference last week.
The Fengniao is heftier than the 10cm-long, 18-gram Black Hornet Nano – made by Norway’s Prox Dynamics and used by the US military since 2012 – and can transmit images 400 metres further, though the drones have a similar operation time of about 25 minutes. But the Fengniao’s battery can be replaced after a flight, unlike the Black Hornet which has to be recharged.
They also have similar camera combinations that allow for panoramic images to be taken at a relatively high altitude, and a thermal camera for night vision can be attached to both the Fengniao and the latest Black Hornet.