OSLO, Norway--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 2, 2026--
Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), announced that it has received a $17.5 million contract from armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office of Defence Procurement, to deliver a large number of Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems, one of the world’s most advanced and widely deployed nano-drones. Black Hornet 4 was selected as an airborne dismountable Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability sensor for armasuisse’s Piranha 8x8 Armored engineering vehicle program.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260201061637/en/
As part of the effort, Black Hornet’s existing software has been modified to be integrated with the Piranha’s digital infrastructure. Under the setup, the drone’s live video stream will be shared on vehicle displays and provide target data, coordinates, and other situational awareness to vehicle commanders and crew. The Black Hornet 4 will be integrated through harmonized military standards with the vehicles’ Integrated Combat Solution (ICS), provided by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Drone operators will be able to connect the Black Hornet control tablet to the vehicle ICS for either dismounted or mobile operations. After launching the UAV by hand out of the vehicle, operators can fly the Black Hornet on intelligence gathering missions while all data is simultaneously shared with the crew. Among its features, the Black Hornet can both receive waypoints from the ICS for further reconnaissance as well as generate target points that can be fed to the vehicle’s Remote Weapon Station. The solution is fully detachable during operations, so operators can dismount from the vehicle and reattach while the drone is flying.
“This first fielded-vehicle integration for the Black Hornet 4 highlights its unique tactical capabilities as a force multiplier,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense and senior vice president of Teledyne Technologies. “By providing the same immediate situational data to all vehicle systems and crew, we can help reduce cognitive burden and boost warfighting effectiveness.
“The armasuisse program shows the market potential for UAS integration on armored vehicles globally and the promise of ‘drone-in-a-box’ systems FLIR Defense has developed specifically for vehicles, including our Black Recon™ and SkyCarrier™ solutions,” Lei added.
Black Hornet 4 represents the next generation of lightweight nano-drones, able to provide enhanced day/night covert situational awareness to small fighting units. Its 12-megapixel daytime camera and high-resolution thermal imager deliver crisp video and still images to the operator. At just 70 grams Black Hornet 4 can survive GPS-denied and contested environments, fly for more than 30 minutes, over three kilometers, and function in 25-knot winds and rain. Flight performance is augmented by advanced obstacle avoidance capabilities and other features.
The vehicle-integrated Black Hornet 4’s were delivered in 2025. The remaining systems will be delivered during 2026.
Teledyne FLIR has delivered more than 35,000 Black Hornet drones to military and security forces in over 45 countries. The award-winning Black Hornet is designed and built by Teledyne FLIR Defense in Norway.
About Teledyne FLIR Defense
Teledyne FLIR Defense has been providing advanced, mission-critical technology and systems for more than 45 years. Our products are on the frontlines of the world’s most pressing military, security and public safety challenges. As a global leader in thermal imaging, we design and build sophisticated surveillance sensors for air, land and maritime use. We develop the most rugged, trusted unmanned air and ground platforms, as well as intelligent sensing devices used to detect chemicals, biological agents, radiation and explosives. At Teledyne FLIR Defense we bring together this expertise to deliver solutions that enable critical decisions and keep our world safe – from any threat, anywhere. To learn more, visit us online or follow @flir and @flir_defense.
About Teledyne Technologies
Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated digital imaging products and software, instrumentation, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Teledyne's operations are primarily located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Western and Northern Europe. For more information, visit Teledyne's website at www.teledyne.com.
Teledyne FLIR Defense has won a $17.5 million contract from armasuisse, the Swiss Federal Office of Defence Procurement, to deliver a large number of Black Hornet® 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems, one of the world’s most advanced and widely deployed nano-drones. Black Hornet 4 was selected as an airborne capability sensor for armasuisse’s Piranha 8x8 Armored engineering vehicle program. Black Hornet’s existing software is being modified to integrate with the Piranha’s digital infrastructure. Under the setup, the drone’s live video stream will be shared on vehicle displays and provide target data, coordinates, and other situational awareness to vehicle commanders and crew.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.
The Pirates are betting big on it, making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it in Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 first-year player draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.
On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt like Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when Griffin smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.
“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”
That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.
Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.
Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.
Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.
“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.
The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.
“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”
Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.
“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
