Some U.S. soldiers soon heading to Afghanistan will be equipped with a new pocket-sized toy, a surveillance drone called the Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System.

On their deployment in Afghanistan, the 1st Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment will begin testing the drones so they can figure out how best they can be used. According to a report Friday in Stars & Stripes, it won’t be too long until the mini-drones become a part of all soldiers’ equipment.

Designed by Oregon-based FLIR Systems, the drones measure just six inches in length and weight only 33 grams. Each drone has two cameras as well as thermal imaging cameras. In the field they can survey areas up to 2 kilometers from the operator and stay flying for about 25 minutes at a time. In that time the drones can send back images to the operator and it’s expected will be able to spot hidden enemies or improvised explosive devices.

“This kind of technology will be a life-saver for us because it takes us out of harm’s way while enhancing our ability to execute whatever combat mission we’re on,” Sgt. Ryan Subers said an Army statement.

The U.S. began testing the Black Hornets with the special forces back in 2016, and subsequently the French and British military also did business with FLIR. The company wrote that it only takes a soldier two minutes to learn how to fly one of the drones and training an instructor takes a few days. Wireless commands are encrypted so the drones can’t be hacked.

Last year the U.S. Army signed a $2.6 million contract with FLIR, and in January this year signed a $40 million deal with the company to supply the drones for the Army’s Soldier Borne Sensor program. That will mean 9,000 systems, with each system having two drones.

Image: FLIR Systems