Project Tiquila: The Palm-Sized Drone Giving Every Platoon Its Own Eyes in the Sky

Overview

Imagine a reconnaissance aircraft that weighs 33 grams, fits in a soldier’s pocket and can fly for 25 minutes on a single charge, providing live day and night video of what lies around the next corner, over the next wall or inside the next compound. That is the PD-100 Black Hornet, and Project Tiquila is the British Army programme that has put it into the hands of infantry platoons across the force.

Project Tiquila delivers nano UAV capability to British Army infantry, enabling platoon-level organic ISR through Lockheed Martin UK’s PD-100 Black Hornet. The programme has delivered 264 systems under a £129 million contract covering procurement, training and sustainment. Each system includes two aircraft with a ground control station, and the electro-optical and thermal sensors provide day and night capability. The operator-portable system is carried in the soldier’s kit, operates near-silently for covert reconnaissance, delivers a live video feed to the operator’s display and has a range of approximately 2 kilometres.

Black Hornet is combat-proven. It was first used by British forces in Afghanistan and has since been widely adopted by special forces and regular infantry units. It represents a fundamental shift toward organic tactical UAS at the lowest levels of command — giving individual platoons a reconnaissance capability that was previously available only through dedicated intelligence assets at battalion or brigade level.

Strategic Purpose and Objectives

Seeing Around Corners, Saving Lives

Project Tiquila transforms small-unit reconnaissance, enabling soldiers to see around corners and over obstacles without exposing themselves to danger. Key capabilities include covert close reconnaissance, urban environment operations, compound clearing support, route reconnaissance and target identification. In close combat, the ability to send a near-silent, palm-sized drone to scout a compound, an alleyway or a suspect position before soldiers enter it is not a convenience — it is a life-saving capability.

The system supports the Future Soldier concept’s emphasis on lethality and survivability. By giving every platoon organic ISR, the Army reduces its dependence on higher-echelon intelligence assets that are scarce, contested and often slow to respond. A platoon commander with a Black Hornet can conduct their own reconnaissance in real time, make decisions based on what they can see and act at the speed that close combat demands.

Tiquila also represents a broader trend in Defence: the push toward smaller, cheaper, more numerous unmanned systems that can be fielded at scale. Where Watchkeeper costs over £1 billion for 54 aircraft, Tiquila has delivered 264 systems for £129 million — a fundamentally different cost model that puts capability where it is needed most, at the tactical edge.

Budget and Financial Structure

Programme Value

The contract value is £129 million for 264 systems including training and support. The per-system cost is approximately £500,000 including all elements. Ongoing sustainment and technology refresh are included in the programme. While the per-unit cost may appear high for a 33-gram aircraft, the figure encompasses the complete system — two aircraft, ground control station, sensors, training, spares, documentation and through-life support.

Budget Division and Holder

The British Army is the capability sponsor and operating authority. DE&S manages contract administration and procurement. Army Command holds the budget, with DE&S managing the contract with Lockheed Martin UK, the successor to FLIR Systems which originally developed the Black Hornet.

Procurement and Acquisition

Acquisition Pipeline

Project Tiquila is fully operational across British Army infantry formations, with continued fielding and sustainment. Potential future upgrades and expanded distribution are being considered based on operational experience. The programme is mature and in widespread service.

Tender Information

Lockheed Martin UK was selected for the Black Hornet programme, with the contract announced publicly and delivery ongoing. Contract details are held through DE&S and Lockheed Martin UK. The selection of Black Hornet reflected both its operational pedigree — it was already proven in Afghanistan — and the absence of credible alternatives in the nano UAV class at the time of procurement.

Why It Matters

Project Tiquila matters because it has fundamentally changed what an infantry platoon can do. Before Black Hornet, a platoon approaching a suspect compound had two choices: send soldiers forward to physically reconnoitre it, or request intelligence support from higher echelons and wait. With Black Hornet, the platoon commander launches a near-silent, virtually invisible drone from the palm of their hand, watches the live video feed and makes a decision based on what they can see. That capability saves lives, accelerates decision-making and makes the platoon more effective in exactly the kind of close combat that characterises contemporary operations.

The programme also demonstrates the value of fielding capability at scale. By procuring 264 systems, the Army has ensured that Black Hornet is not a niche capability confined to special forces — it is an everyday tool available to regular infantry platoons across the force. This democratisation of ISR, pushing surveillance capability to the lowest tactical level, is one of the most significant trends in modern land warfare, and Tiquila is the UK’s leading example of it.

For industry, Project Tiquila offers opportunity in nano and micro UAV technology, miniaturised sensors, lightweight batteries, secure datalinks, ground control systems and through-life support. The global market for soldier-portable reconnaissance drones is growing rapidly, driven by the experiences of Ukraine and other recent conflicts, and companies that can deliver capable, reliable and affordable systems in this class will find strong demand from both UK Defence and international customers. Lockheed Martin UK’s position as prime contractor creates supply chain opportunities for specialist component and sensor providers.

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