Insectothopter, CIA’s UAV from the 1970s

Background

Insectothopter

The Insectothopter was a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency’s research and development office in the 1970s. The Insectothopter was the size of a dragonfly, and was hand-painted to look like one. It was powered by a small gasoline engine to make the wings move and was fueled by a very small amount of gas. The project was abandoned when the Insectothopter was found to be too difficult to control in crosswinds.

It took nearly seven years for documents to be released on the Insectothopter. They were finally received in January of 2020 (release letter dated 16 December 2019).

The CIA also produced and released the below video, which has been available since circa 2015. However, the documents have never been released before now.

Continue scrolling for more...

Document Archive

CIA Documents on the Insectothopter, Released December 2019 and Received January of 2020 [28 Pages, 10MB]

Video Archive

Follow The Black Vault on Social Media:

This post was published on January 14, 2020 8:40 am

John Greenewald

Recent Posts

The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Records Archive

In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14176, titled "Declassification of Records…

April 28, 2025

FOIA Release Reveals Secret Charter Behind Creation of Pentagon’s UAP Task Force

Nearly five years ago, The Black Vault filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request…

April 23, 2025

Lake Erie, Saudi Arabia, and Dugway: Army Records Trace UAP Surveillance Footprint

A newly released set of U.S. Army intelligence records offers a rare glimpse into behind-the-scenes…

April 22, 2025

DOD Polygraph Institute 1999 Audiovisual Training Archive

In 1999, the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI) released a bibliography of audiovisual training…

April 8, 2025

J.F.K. Assassination Records Archive – Previously Withheld JFK Assassination Documents Database

Background The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, is…

April 7, 2025

The Pentagon Says AATIP Wasn’t About UFOs—But the Man Slated to Take It Over Ended Up Designing the Government’s UAP Strategy

A newly released batch of documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reveals…

April 2, 2025