Indian special forces upgrade their war chest with the world’s smallest spy cam

• The National Security Guard of India, responsible for dealing with terrorist activity, has upgraded the tools at its disposal.
• Along with upgrading its firepower and defence equipment, the ‘Black Cats’ will also have the world’s smallest drone with a camera at their disposal for covert operations.
  
• Only 6 other countries around the world are equipped with this technology so far, making India the newest addition.

Call them the National Security Guard (NSG) or the ‘Black Cats’, India’s elite commandos have integrated new tech into their war chest. The most significant addition is the Black Hornet Nano, the world’s smallest spy cam, that’s only being used by a select few countries around the world.

That, along with the Kamikaze drone and upgrades to their firepower and defense capabilities, is meant to help the NSG address their primary objective of dealing with anti-terrorist activities in all its forms.

While, the addition of the Black Hornet is an impressive upgrade, the commandos finally shifting from walkie-talkies to hands-free earpieces is a milestone as well. Not to mention, long overdue.

At the 34th Raising Day on Wednesday, the Home Minister to the Government of India expressed how the challenges before the NSG are dynamic and there’s an urgent need to equip them with the latest technology and gadgets.

The world’s smallest spy cam

The Black Hornet Nano isn’t the newest gadget on the block, but its efficiency is continuously applauded. Measuring approximately 4 inches in length and weighing around 16 grams, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Capitalizing on its size, the drone can travel at speeds reaching nearly 35 km/hr according to NDTV and navigate treacherous terrain using its inbuilt GPS and autonomous flight functions. All while sending back a video stream to the pilot.

The only catch is that, on a single charge, the drone can only fly for around 25 minutes and operators can navigate the drone from a maximum distance of 1.6 km.

But, being compact comes at a price. Specifically, around ₹3 million ($40,000) while other sources cite the price to be as high as ₹14.3 million ($195,000). Currently, the only countries that have this capability are the US, the UK, Germany, France, Australia and the Netherlands.