A Northern California-based aerospace company has unveiled the smallest drone yet that can carry weapons behind enemy lines.

According to the Daily Mail, The Arcturus company is showing its new T-20 drone off at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. The T-20 has a 17-foot wingspan, putting it in the so-called Tier II class of unmanned aircraft.

The company claims the device can carry up to 30 kilograms of payload, ''in excess of 16 hours''.

Most of the fuel is stored in the wings, leaving more room for cargo and camera equipment, which can beam back live video to the operators.

The company''s website states: ''A retracting sensor gives a full 360 degree unobstructed field of view''. It is powered by a 10-horsepower, four-stroke engine and boasts a system of removable pallets ''for ease of payload swapping''.

The new drone is a bit smaller than the Shadow drone already in use by the United States Army and Marine Corps.

The T-20 is billed primarily as a spy craft, although Wired.com reports that an example shown in Tampa boasts a small missile strapped on the underside of its left wing.

Image: The new T-20 drone

Photograph: Wikipedia