The Ninox is a palm‑sized drone, making it one of the most compact military‑grade ISR platforms in the world.
By Hezy Laing
It may have a long name, but the SpearUAV Ninox 66 Micro is the smallest tactical drone ever developed in Israel, designed specifically for squad‑level reconnaissance and rapid‑response intelligence missions.
Created by SpearUAV, a Tel Aviv–based defense company founded in 2017, the Ninox 66 Micro belongs to the firm’s family of encapsulated, instant‑launch drones engineered for frontline forces that require immediate aerial awareness without relying on trained UAV operators.
The Ninox 66 Micro is a palm‑sized drone, making it one of the most compact military‑grade ISR platforms in the world, though the company has not publicly released its exact physical dimensions.
It is built around a proprietary silent‑flight technology, allowing soldiers to deploy it at extremely close range without revealing their position.
Once launched from its sealed capsule, the drone automatically unfolds, stabilizes, and begins transmitting video within seconds, eliminating the need for manual piloting during takeoff.
The system supports autonomous navigation, computer‑vision‑based flight, automatic target tracking, and swarm or mesh networking, enabling multiple Ninox drones to operate cooperatively in complex environments.
The Ninox 66 Micro offers a flight endurance of up to 50 minutes, a significant achievement for a drone of its size, and can carry payloads of up to 700 grams, allowing for EO/IR sensors suitable for day‑night reconnaissance.
It is also designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 20 knots, ensuring stable operation in harsh battlefield conditions.
SpearUAV markets the Ninox 66 Micro to infantry squads, special forces, armored units, and naval teams, emphasizing its ability to launch from moving vehicles, armored platforms, and static positions.
Although SpearUAV states that it supplies “military clients and governments worldwide,” the company has not publicly disclosed which specific countries have purchased or deployed the Ninox 66 Micro.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense is known to be a major customer of SpearUAV systems, and the company is listed as a single‑source supplier for several IDF programs, but no official confirmation exists regarding the Ninox 66 Micro’s operational users.
The Ninox 66 Micro stands out as Israel’s smallest tactical drone and one of the most advanced palm‑sized ISR tools available globally, offering instant, silent, and autonomous reconnaissance capabilities to frontline forces.
Compared to competitors such as the U.S.‑made Black Hornet Nano or France’s NX70, the Ninox 66 Micro distinguishes itself through its encapsulated launch system, longer endurance, and autonomous stabilization.
While the Black Hornet is smaller, it lacks the Ninox’s sealed capsule and vehicle‑launch capability, giving SpearUAV a unique operational advantage in armored and high‑mobility environments.
