Teledyne FLIR Defense has launched Black Recon, an autonomously launched micro-drone system that delivers continuous, untethered reconnaissance from military vehicles and fixed installations. Unveiled at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris, the system lets crews scout ahead, recover and recharge their drones without ever leaving the protection of their vehicle.
Keeping crews under armor
At the heart of Black Recon is a docking station that houses and supports up to three micro-unmanned aircraft. Rather than relying on a single drone and exposed operators, the system cycles aircraft through missions: one drone conducts reconnaissance while another recharges, creating what Teledyne describes as near-continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage. Each aircraft launches autonomously, carries out reconnaissance and target-acquisition tasks, then returns to the platform for capture and recharging before the next sortie.
Built for contested skies
Each Black Recon UAV weighs less than 450 grams, stays aloft for roughly 50 to 60 minutes and can travel at up to 25 meters per second, extending surveillance beyond traditional engagement ranges. Crucially, the drones can continue missions in GPS-denied or spoofed environments using advanced sensors and visual-inertial navigation, enabling radio-silent operation. The platform also offers onboard relay functions to extend communications and is compatible with the combat-proven Black Hornet 4 nano-drone already fielded by several militaries.
From reconnaissance to multi-mission payloads
"Black Recon represents a major step forward in integrated reconnaissance for ground forces," said Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne Defense and Aerospace Group and senior vice president of Teledyne Technologies. The modular design leaves room for thermal and visible imaging payloads, planned chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection sensors, and future lethality modules. Although developed for military users, Teledyne says the architecture can also support border security, critical-infrastructure monitoring and maritime patrol. Black Recon is available to order now, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.
The launch lands amid a wider defense-tech sprint into autonomy on display across Eurosatory 2026, from Teledyne's own Rogue 1 Block 2 loitering munition and its U.S. Army CBRN sensing drone kits to counter-drone systems such as DroneShield's JIATF-401 contract and the French dual-use UAS arsenal from DRONE VOLT.
Reporting based on coverage from Teledyne FLIR Defense, Interesting Engineering and Business Wire.