DJ Alan Clarke

A hummingbird-shaped spy drone that could fly undetected into enemy positions has been unveiled in the US.
The Nano Hummingbird has a wingspan of 6.5 inches and weighs 19 grams, less than an AA battery.
Developed over five years at a cost of £2.5m, the Nano Hummingbird can fly up to 11mph and can fly up and down, forwards and backwards, sideways and can rotate.

During a demonstration, it flew in and out of a building through a normal-size doorway, all the time beaming back images from its tiny onboard camera.

Pentagon contractor AeroVironment claim they have accomplished a technical milestone never before achieved – controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two-wing, flapping wing aircraft.

Army chiefs hope to use the drone’s tiny camera to spy on enemy positions in war zones without arousing detection and eventually deploy it into both rural and urban environments.

Experts hope the drone, which can fly just by flapping its wings, compared with current models which rely on propellers, will eventually be able to swoop through open windows and perch on power lines.

Chris Fisher, project manager at AeroVironment said controlling the drone was simple for today’s soldiers who had grown up with new technology.

“One of the things we benefit from is the average young person in the military has hours and hours of video games experience,” he said.

“They are attuned to holding these things in their hands; moving the joysticks around with their thumbs and that’s how our planes are flown. To an 18-year-old it’s extremely simple.”

Thanks to Orange.co.uk