Britain's military says its soldiers in Afghanistan have been issued with surveillance drones so small they can fit in the palm of your hand.
The Scandinavian-designed Black Hornet Nano weighs as little as 16g - the same as a finch.
The 10cm-long helicopter is fitted with a tiny camera, which relays still images and video to a remote terminal.
The military yesterday quoted Sergeant Christopher Petherbridge, who is attached to Britain's Brigade Reconnaissance Force, as saying that troops used the drone "to look for insurgent firing points and checking out exposed areas of ground before crossing".
The ministry said on Sunday that the Black Hornet was developed by Norway's Prox Dynamics AS as part of a $30-million contract to supply 160 units with southern England's Marlborough Communications Ltd.