Craft carried camera, can stay airborne 11 minutes

The small drone spotted flying near the White House on Thursday appeared to be a Parrot BeBop drone. The drone, which is about the size of an iPad, is equipped with a high-definition camera for capturing video and photographs. It is sold commercially for between $500 and $900.

The drone can stream images back to its remote controller over a wireless connection, allowing it to be flown for up to 11 minutes at speeds up to 45 miles per hour even outside the operator’s field of vision. Its engines are powerful enough to carry just under a half-pound of extra equipment.