The Types of Drones
Drones come in all shapes & sizes, they are generally designed for specific roles.
At UAS we consider your mission carefully & then recommend a type that is suitable for your requirements.
Fixed Wing
Fixed wing drones have the following features:
- Long endurance missions (1-10 hours)
- Different types of payloads
- Can be electric, fuel hybrid or fuel powered
- Can be customised to suit any mission
- Can carry a full range of sensors & cameras
- Can carry different communication systems
- Can be autonomous or have a pilot & sensor operator
- Operational in all weathers
Folding Quad Copter (Micro)
Folding quadcopter are typically (but not exclusively) the smaller type of drones:
- They are compact & easy to transport in small pack
- Fast to deploy
- Generally simple to fly
- Low cost
- Battery powered
- Have limited endurance (30-40 mins) & range
- Generally not easy to customise
- Most cannot be flown in bad weather (No IP rating)
- Have limited sensor/camera options
Folding Quad Copter (Enterprise)
Folding quadcopters are also used for business missions:
- They are portable & easy to transport in a hard case
- Fast to deploy
- Have multiple sensors & cameras
- Battery powered
- Have limited real world endurance (30-45 mins) & range
- Generally not easy to customise
Multi Rotor Drones
Multi rotor drones tend be larger & used for heavy lifting:
- Can be battery or fuel powered
- Can carry heavier payloads, such as film cameras or water tanks
- Need to be transported in a van or 4 x 4
- Typically for industrial & Agricultural tasks
- Can carry a range of sensors & cameras
- Can be autonomous or have a pilot & payload operator
Vertical Take Off & Landing (VTOL) Hybrid
The VTOL drone is designed to combine the benefits of a fixed wing drone with a multi rotor :
- They have a good endurance & long flght time
- Take off & land vertically so do not require a runway
- They can carry a diverse range of payloads
- Can be electric, fuel hybrid or fuel powered
- Can be customised to suit any mission
- Can carry a full range of sensors & cameras
- Can carry multi communication systems
- Can be autonomous or have a pilot & sensor operator
- Operational in all weathers
Drone Cameras
Drones can be equipped with a variety of cameras & sensors for a mission such as:
Video cameras: Generally in different focal lengths allowing the pilot/operator to get an overview & then zoom in using a different camera.
Thermal/IR Camera: Designed to pick up heat signatures, so ideal for finding lost hikers, checking building insulation efficacy or tracking wildlife
Night Vision Cameras: Ideal for tracking people or wild life at night time
Drone Sensors
Drones can be equipped with a variety of sensors for a mission such as:
Light Detection & Ranging (LIDAR ) Sensor: LIDAR is used to build accurate high resolution maps of an area for geography, forestry etc.
Range Finder: Designed to accurately measure distance