Assistance with fiction: small UAV spotlight?

[Lynn LeFey]

I'm writing a piece of fiction right now set in the very near future (2015).

A SWAT team is deployed to a forested area at night. They have a very small UAV quadrotor with them. It has FLIR and the like, but I also wanted to give it a spotlight, to assist ground units.

I am wondering what kind of brightness/duration could be had for about 12 oz. This thing will be flying just over treetops, so a flood beam reaching 100 feet.

I know this might be one of the strangest topic ever posted here, but you guys are my best 'research department' I have for this kind of thing. Any help or thoughts are appreciated.

[enki_ck]

12 oz is quite a challenge for a spotlight. 

I can't help you there but am subscribing here to see what our flashoholics have to say.

[Lynn LeFey]

Don't get too caught up on the word 'spotlight'. Think of it more as 'what's the brightest light that someone could carry at about 12oz weight' knowing that it had to reach a range of about 100 feet with fair floodiness.

The second part to this is a bit speculative, since it is set a few years in the future. Possible better LEDs or better/lighter batteries. I don't know how rapidly LEDs improve, but assume due to standardization, this think will likely use current available power sources.

EDIT: maybe something around 1000 lumens? Could more be done?
More EDIT: Something like the Olight M3X XM-L2 maybe?

[Mr. Whippy]

The neighborhood of 1000 lumens is quite doable.  Heck my couple year old Olight M21 generates 550 Lm.

[Mr. Whippy]

Just checked. The updated version (M22) puts out 950 and weighs just over 5.5 oz.

[Millhouse]

The current crop of 18650 lithium ion powered lights with Cree XML2 emitters will put out nearly 1000 lumens of light. Runtime is usually around the 60-90 minute mark. Weight is well within your specification, so additional battery packs could be installed for increased runtime.

[Lynn LeFey]

I don't imagine the runtime on the UAV I have in mind being more than that 60-90 minutes.

Could this output be pushed closer to 3000lm for, say... 20 minutes duration or thereabouts?

[Millhouse]

Not using a single emitter.

You could have an array of 3 emitters and batteries, and still be within your weight limit.

[Lynn LeFey]

Excellent. Thanks.

I think I have my answer, and appreciate everyone's input.

You may all feel free to continue discussing this odd subject, but know I have the information I was looking for.