{{Short description|American UAV}} thumb|An image of the Insectothopter from the CIA's Virtual Museum. The '''Insectothopter''' was a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency's research and development office in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Insectothopter |url=https://www.spymuseum.org/exhibition-experiences/about-the-collection/collection-highlights/insectothopter/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=International Spy Museum |language=en}}</ref> The Insectothopter was the size of a dragonfly, and was hand-painted to look like one. It was powered by a miniature fluidic oscillator to propel the wings up and down at the proper rate to provide both lift and thrust. A small amount of propellant produced gas to drive the oscillator, and extra thrust came from the excess gas vented out the rear.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/library/video-center/video-transcripts/insectothopter-the-bug-carrying-bug.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816002534/https://www.cia.gov/library/video-center/video-transcripts/insectothopter-the-bug-carrying-bug.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 16, 2013 |title = Insectothopter: The Bug-Carrying Bug — Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> The project was abandoned when the Insectothopter was found to be too difficult to control in crosswinds.<ref>Shrader, Katherine: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100185.html New Agency IARPA Develops Spy Tools], ''The Washington Post'', May 31, 2007.</ref> It was revealed to the public in December 2003 at the CIA Museum, and further details about the project were declassified in 2015 and 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-18 |title=In the 1970s, the CIA Created a Robot Dragonfly Spy. Now We Know How It Works. |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/drones/a30795266/cia-robot-dragonfly/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also== *Ornithopter
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Espionage devices Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States Category:Central Intelligence Agency Category:Ornithopters Category:Micro air vehicles
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