# Insectothopter

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The **Insectothopter** was a miniature [unmanned aerial vehicle](/source/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle) developed by the [United States](/source/United_States) [Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency)'s research and development office in the 1970s.[1] The Insectothopter was the size of a [dragonfly](/source/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.[2] The project was abandoned when the Insectothopter was found to be too difficult to control in [crosswinds](/source/Crosswind).[3] It was revealed to the public in December 2003 at the [CIA Museum](/source/CIA_Museum), and further details about the project were declassified in 2015 and 2020.[4]

## See also

- [Ornithopter](/source/Ornithopter)

## References

1. ["Insectothopter"](https://www.spymuseum.org/exhibition-experiences/about-the-collection/collection-highlights/insectothopter/). *International Spy Museum*. Retrieved 2023-03-24.

1. ["Insectothopter: The Bug-Carrying Bug — Central Intelligence Agency"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130816002534/https://www.cia.gov/library/video-center/video-transcripts/insectothopter-the-bug-carrying-bug.html). Archived from [the original](https://www.cia.gov/library/video-center/video-transcripts/insectothopter-the-bug-carrying-bug.html) on August 16, 2013.

1. Shrader, Katherine: [New Agency IARPA Develops Spy Tools](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100185.html), *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*, May 31, 2007.

1. ["In the 1970s, the CIA Created a Robot Dragonfly Spy. Now We Know How It Works."](https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/drones/a30795266/cia-robot-dragonfly/). *Popular Mechanics*. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2024-01-24.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Insectothopter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insectothopter) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insectothopter?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.