"HONEYWELL is developing a micro flying spy drone -- that would be used for civilian law enforcement!" the Drudge Report shouts.
Which is true. In a way.
The company is, indeed, developing a small, "hovering robot carrying video cameras and other sensors," as Drudge explains, and Defense Tech has detailed in the past. And Honeywell officials have talked about unmanned vehicles being "a huge growth area... not only for the military, but for the department of homeland defense and other agencies."
But, near as I can tell, there's been nothing more than loose talk about the Pentagon-funded machines moving into police work.
Oh, another thing: Drudge says that "the vehicle [is] nicknamed 'Dragon Eye.'"
Which is wrong. The Dragon Eye is a Marine Corps drone -- one that's spent the last two years in combat zones, not it research labs, like the Honeywell machine.
Both are meant for short-range recon, true. But the model airplane-esque Dragon Eye (right) looks nothing like the cylindrical Honeywell bot (above). And it uses propellers to fly, not ducted fans.
Yeah, it's a small point. But telling.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here.
