Teledyne FLIR Defense and STORM Vanguard are giving the Black Recon unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) a new level of deployment flexibility, allowing it to launch from nearly any military vehicle without custom integration.
The companies have integrated the complete Black Recon system into the Rapid Adapt and Deploy System (RADS), a modular docking station that enables the drone to be quickly mounted, removed, upgraded, or transferred between platforms.
The system can also be detached and used as a portable launch solution, allowing a single operator to deploy the drone within minutes.
It supports installation on a wide range of military platforms, including standard pickups, snowmobiles, boats, all-terrain vehicles, and uncrewed ground vehicles.
“Our customers operate in environments where mission requirements change quickly, and they need to add and update capability without taking vehicles out of service,” said Harald Sørensen, vice president of Norway Operations at Teledyne FLIR Defense.
“RADS gives us a standardized way to put Black Recon onto the platforms our customers already field and to do it at scale. We see RADS as a natural foundation for bringing more of our drone portfolio to vehicle fleets over time.”
The partnership was announced at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris.
A More Flexible Black Recon
Black Recon is housed in a box-shaped launcher that enables the autonomous deployment, operation, and recovery of up to three drones.
Each drone can remain airborne for 50 to 60 minutes, weighs less than 450 grams (about one pound), and reaches speeds of up to 56 miles (90 kilometers) per hour.
It carries dual-mode thermal and visible imaging payloads for situational awareness and targeting, supported by Visual Inertial Navigation for operations in radio-silent and GPS-denied environments.
The expanded deployment options mean these capabilities are no longer tied to a dedicated launch platform, giving units greater flexibility in how they employ the drone.
