Maveric is about the size of a crow or large pigeon, and carries a gimball mounted camera for snooping on people and things on the ground. A single soldier can prepare the 2.5 pound Maveric for take off in about five minutes, after which it can reach altitudes as high as 25,000 feet flying at up to 65 miles per hour. One down side of Maveric's small size is that it can only keep flying for about an hour, but the operator can bring it back for a quick battery swap and get it back into the air in about 30 seconds.

 

We've seen similar tiny drones being deployed for civilian use, but this is the first time the U.S. military has put them into service. The U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force just bought 36 Maverics from maker Prioria Robotics for an "urgent but undisclosed need," so it's anyone's guess where they'll end up. Hopefully not spying through my windows.