Technical data on UASs

3D Robotics Solo - listed under number 11

The 3DR SOLO is manufactured by company 3D Robotics located in Berkeley, 

California, USA. The system consists of a lightweight battery operated multi rotor aircraft,

ground control station, and associated data link equipment. The 3DR SOLO airframe consists 

of main body and 4 arms, each one with one 880kV electro-motor with 10 in. propeller of glassreinforced nylon with 4.5 in. pitch. Its empty weight is 3.3 lbs, while takeoff weight with GoPro 

4 camera and SOLO gimbal is 3.9 lbs. Maximum payload is 1 lbs. The 3DR SOLO is 10 in. tall

and has motor-to-motor diameter of 18 in. The 3DR SOLO has 4 LED lights for easier 

orientation for the observer from the ground. It is powered by 3DR provided 5200 mAh 14.8 Vdc 

LiPo flight batteries that drive an electric propellers. It is site launched, with vertical lift-off and 

has maximum flight time with payloads of 20 minutes, and operates at a maximum speed of 55

mph. Maximum altitude is set according to FAA regulation of 400ft. Maximum ascending speed 

is 10m/s. Landing is vertical just like lift-off.

The control of 3DR SOLO is done with Pixhawk2 autopilot by 3DRobotic, data link via 

3D Robotics Link secure Wi-Fi network at 2.4 GHz, and 3DR remote control with range of 0.5 

miles. 

3DR utilizes remote control powered by its own 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A9-powered 

computer running Linux, which simplifies the flight and gives full control over the vehicle in 

flight and camera. Beside flight control sticks, there are also dedicated buttons for one-touch 

automatic flight, auto take-off and land, auto return home and land, and Pause which 

immediately brings aircraft to mid-air stop and hover. Color display is constantly providing

Pilot-in-Command (PIC) with information of during the flight so controller will alert PIC if 

something goes wrong. The controller’s computer powers both Wi-Fi hub to keep PIC always 

connected to aircraft with video latency of only 180 milliseconds, and built-in HDMI port for 

live broadcast of GoPro HD video feed, which additionally contributes to safety and control of 

the aircraft. The controller also doubles as a Black Box: Its 1 GHz computer automatically saves 

valuable flight data along 500 parameters directly to its internal memory, 20 times a second.
Additional safety is achieved with another 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A9-powered computer running 

Linux on-board aircraft which runs all high end processing so the autopilot Pixhawk 2 doesn’t 

have to work hard, which in return makes it resistible to firmware freeze during the flight even 

while running exceedingly complex scripts, and reduces chance of unwanted behavior like

dreaded “flyaway.

The autopilot Pixhawk 2 has:

• 3x3 axis accelerometers (IMU), 

• 3x3 gyroscopes, 

• 3x3 axis magnetometers, 

• 2 x barometers, 

For all navigation sensors Pixhawk 2 has redundancy so if should one of them fail, there is a 

back-up. 

It is capable of carrying multiple imaging sensors. The 3 axis gimbal provides best 

support for GoPro cameras, for which it has direct in-flight access to controls. But beside GoPro 

cameras it is capable of carrying also other RGB sensors, Thermal Infrared, and multispectral 

and Near Infrared.

The 3DR DOLO is ideal for surveying large sized areas and the following applications:

2D orthomosaic

3D terrain models and DEMs

Geophysical surveys

Topography

Volumetric of quarries

Volumetric of mines

The 3DR DOLO has extensive flight experience, especially by professional mapping and survey 

agencies, photographers and film makers, but it has also been used in construction companies 

and environmental protection agencies and societies. The 3DR DOLO is a proven and mature 

UAV, tested over the course of countless flight hours and in many conditions.
Aeromao AeroMapper 300 - listed under number 63

The Aeromapper 300 is manufactured by company Aeromao located in Mississauga, 

Ontario, Canada. The system consists of a lightweight battery operated fixed wing aircraft,

ground control station, and associated data link equipment. The Aeromapper 300 airframe is 

fully constructed of reinforced carbon fiber, with Kevlar reinforcements in key areas, while 

payload bay module is made of fiberglass. Its empty weight is 7.72 lbs, payload capacity is 1.43 

lbs, and maximum takeoff weight is 11.80 lbs. It has wing span of 9.84 ft. The Aeromapper 300

is powered by two LiPo flight batteries that drive an electric propeller. It is hand launched, has

maximum flight time of 90 minutes, and operates at a maximum speed of 55 mph and cruise 

speed of 34 mph. Landing is performed with parachute with Kevlar lines, and there is a 

possibility of belly landing. Aeromapper 300 can has wind resistance of 10m/s and operating 

temperature range from -12 to +40 degrees Celsius.

The control of Aeromapper 300 is done with Pixhawk autopilot by 3DRobotic, data link

via 2 way telemetry for in-flight commands and Spektrum DX8 radio control with long-range 

system of 30 miles. The maximum range of data link is 12 miles, and it utilizes frequency of 915 

MHz.

The Aeromapper 300 has onboard navigation sensors that include IMU – Inertial 

measurement unit for maneuvering the aircraft, barometer for altitude measurement, and 

compass.

Great stability and minimal roll & pitch oscillations in gusty conditions thanks to its low 

dihedral, small lateral profile and V tail rudder control = no gimbal required for cameras & 

sensors.

It is capable of carrying multiple imaging sensors, RGB, Thermal Infrared, Near 

Infrared, and dual sensors. Cameras are installed in panoramic orientation for most optimal area 

coverage with maximum side overlap.

The Aeromapper 300 is ideal for surveying large sized areas and the following applications:

2D orthomosaic

3D terrain models and DEMs

Precision Agriculture (NDVI and multispectral sensors are available)

Crop management
Research and Forestry

Wildlife monitoring

Oil and gas pipeline 

Geophysical surveys

Topography

The Aeromapper 300 has extensive flight experience, especially by professional mapping and 

survey agencies, photographers and film makers, but it has also been used in construction 

companies and environmental protection agencies and societies. The Aeromapper 300 is a proven

and mature UAV, tested over the course of countless flight hours and in many conditions.

Aeromao Aeromapper EV2 – listed under number 64

The Aeromapper EV2 is manufactured by company Aeromao located in Mississauga, 

Ontario, Canada. The system consists of a lightweight battery operated fixed wing aircraft,

ground control station, and associated data link equipment. The Aeromapper EV2 airframe is 

fully constructed of reinforced carbon fiber, while payload bay module is made of fiberglass. 

Empty weight is 6.95 lbs, and maximum takeoff weight is 9.92 lbs. It has wing span of 6.56 ft. 

The Aeromapper EV2 is powered by two 4000mAh LiPo flight batteries that drive an electric 

propeller. It is hand launched, has maximum flight time of 60 minutes, and operates at a 

maximum speed of 62 mph and cruise speed of 37mph. The control of Aeromapper EV2 is done 

with Pixhawk autopilot by 3DRobotic, data link via 2 way telemetry for in-flight commands and 

Spektrum DX8 radio control with long-range system. The maximum range of data link is 12 

miles, and it utilizes frequency of 915 MHz.

The Aeromapper EV2 has onboard navigation sensors that include IMU – Inertial 

measurement unit for maneuvering the aircraft, barometer for altitude measurement, and 

compass.

The Aeromapper EV2 is ideal for surveying large sized areas and the following applications:

2D orthomosaic

3D terrain models and DEMs

Precision Agriculture (NDVI and multispectral sensors are available)

Crop management
Research and Forestry

Wildlife monitoring

Oil and gas pipeline 

Geophysical surveys

Topography

The Aeromapper EV2 has extensive flight experience, especially by professional mapping and 

survey agencies, photographers and film makers, but it has also been used in construction 

companies and environmental protection agencies and societies

DJI Spreading Wings S900 - listed under number 349

The S900 UAS is manufactured by company DJI located in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, 

China. The system consists of a lightweight battery operated aircraft, ground control station, and 

associated data link equipment. The S900 airframe is constructed of carbon fiber and weighs

7.27 lbs. with a diagonal wheelbase of 2.95 ft. of which center frame diameter is 0.9 ft and frame 

arm length is 1.17 ft. The S900 is powered by two lithium polymer batteries that drive 6 electric 

propellers. It is site-launched with vertical lift-off, has maximum flight time of 18 minutes, and 

operates at a maximum speed of 36 mph. The control of S900 is done via A2 flight controller 

system.

A2 flight controller system

DJI A2 multi-rotor stabilization controller system is a complete flight control system for 

various multi-rotor platforms. It has high performance antenna, low noise anti-interference frontend RF design, accurate position and speed calculating, these combined features gives it advantage 

of higher accuracy performance, larger measuring range, and unique damping design, and 

calibration algorithms, and ultimately gives IMU the ability to provide stable output even in high 

vibration and large movement environments. The built-in receiver system directly supports the 

popular transmitters, and it also supports a variety of external receivers.

The A2 utilizes built-in 2.4 GHz Radio technology DESST (DJI Enhanced Spread 

Spectrum Technology) receiver which supports Futaba FASST series of transmitters. It has 16 
channels. Futaba transmitter allows use of the system without any external receiver, which has 

greatly simplified complexity of the system and improved the security of the remote control 

system.

Hovering accuracy in GPS mode is 0.5m (vertical) and 1.5 m (horizontal), wind resistance 

is up to 8m/s, and has operating temperature between -5∘C and + 60∘C.

The GPS receiver of the A2 GPS-Compass Pro Module is equipped with a new high gain 

and high performance right-handed circular polarized (RHCP) antenna, the low noise antiinterference front-end RF design and the optimized localization algorithm, which provides the 

GPS Pro with stronger anti-interference performance, a stronger ability to capture satellite signals 

and a more accurate position hold calculating ability.

A2 system has two reserved JR and SPEKTRUM satellite receiver ports, which support JR 

and SPEKTRUM satellite receivers.

The A2 system has a dual CAN-Bus design, which means that the system data throughput 

will be doubled and the extendibility is improved. At the same time, the important data and the 

non-critical data are assigned respectively on different CAN-Bus ports, which greatly improves 

the system stability.

The A2 is equipped with a minimum of twelve output channels, users can easily use it to 

control an eight motors, and the other four channels can be used as a general output interface to 

control retractable landing gear, gimbal, or camera switch, etc.

With the new generation GPS Pro/Compass Module and the hardware upgraded IMU 

module, the A2 has an optimized inertial navigation algorithm, which ensures the system can get 

a more reliable and accurate position and attitude estimate. The aircraft which is equipped with A2 

will have very good performance in position hold even in a semi-closed environment, such as 

between buildings, it also has excellent hovering performance. At the same time, with the 

optimized algorithm of inertial navigation and the algorithm of wind resistance, the Wind 

Resistance performance of A2 is also improved, and the multi-rotor can have position and altitude 

locked accurately even in windy.
It supports three flight modes and intelligent switching between them. Available modes are 

GPS mode, Attitude mode, and manual mode. The Flight controller can adjust automatically within 

the changing flight environment and intelligently switch between GPS Mode and Attitude Mode 

to make sure the flight is safe.

In order to prevent multi-rotor UAS from crashing or other harmful consequences caused 

by low battery voltage, A2 has two levels of low voltage protection with selectable LED 

indications, Go Home and Landing functionality.

When signal is lost, the system will trigger failsafe, it is possible to choose either hovering or Auto 

Go Home/Landing.

A2 controller also provides One-motor-fail-protection function. This function means that 

when the aircraft is in attitude or GPS attitude mode, and one of the motors stops, the aircraft will 

retain good attitude and rotate around the frame arm with the stopped motor. In this condition, the 

aircraft is still under control and returns home safely and highly reducing the risk of a crash.

A2 has a POI function: Point of Interest. When the GPS signal is good, it is possible to 

record current position of the aircraft as a point of interest by a preset switch on the remote 

controller. The aircraft can achieve a circling flight around the point of interest with the nose 

pointing at the POI in an area of 5 meters to 500 meters radius, when the roll command is given. 

This function is easy to set and simple to operate, it is suitable for all-round shooting of a fixed 

scenic spot.

The DJI S900 has extensive flight experience, especially by professional photographers 

and film makers, but it has also been used in construction companies and security firms. 

It was used by relief workers in Ludian earthquake zone to address two of the greatest 

challenges– identifying areas amidst the rubble areas to focus the search for survivors, and 

clearing roads for supplies to get to the disaster area. Aerial images captured by the team were 

used by rescuers to clear a road from Guangming Village to Tiansheng Bridge by identifying the 

easiest points of clearance. The team has also worked in the epicenter area of Longtoushan, where 

most of the traditional buildings in the area collapsed. The dense rubble and vegetation have made 

ground surveying extremely difficult, so using aerial images has helped identify where relief 

teams can focus on searching for survivors
Precision Hawk Lancaster - listed under number 737

The PrecisionHawk Lancaster is manufactured by company PrecisionHawk located in 

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The system consists of a lightweight battery operated fixed wing 

aircraft, ground control station, and associated data link equipment. The PrecisionHawk 

Lancaster has maximum weight of 5.3 lbs, and payload capacity of 2.2 lbs,. It has wing span of 

4.9 ft. The PrecisionHawk Lancaster is powered by LiPo flight battery that drive an electric 

propeller. It is hand launched, and it will be operates at a maximum speeds much lesser of 100

mph. Landing is performed belly landing. PrecisionHawk Lancaster can has wind resistance of 

10m/s.

PrecisionHawk Lancaster has onboard flight monitoring sensors that continually 

monitors itself while in flight: checking battery life, operational weather/wind limitations, 

structure cracks and other internal performance checks.

It is capable of carrying multiple imaging sensors, RGB, Thermal Infrared, Near 

Infrared, and multi- and hyperspectral sensors. 

The PrecisionHawk Lancaster is ideal for surveying large sized areas and the following 

applications:

2D orthomosaic

3D terrain models and DEMs

Precision Agriculture (NDVI and multispectral sensors are available)

Crop management

Research and Forestry

Wildlife monitoring

Oil and gas pipeline 

Geophysical surveys

Topography
SenseFly eBee RTK – listed under number 820

The eBee RTK UAS is manufactured by SenseFly located in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

The eBee RTK is fully autonomous survey grade mapping drone. It utilizes in-flight processing 

of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation corrections from leading brands of base 

stations GNSS/RTK via its supplied eMotion flight control software and ground modem, in 

order to enhance the precision of position data from satellite based positioning systems. The 

RTK coordinate correction system receives via ground modem enable precise navigation and 

the storage of image meta-data with RTK-level accuracy without the need for Ground Control 

Points (GCPs). The eBee takes a collection of high-definition still images that are used later to 

generate maps and contour lines of the surveyed area.

The system consists of a lightweight battery operated aircraft with integrated sensor,

ground control station, and associated data link equipment. 

The eBee RTK central body and wings are constructed of EPP foam, carbon structure & 

composite parts and has total weight (with integrated camera and battery) 1.61 lbs. with a 

wingspan of 37.8 inches. It has kinetic energy of 60J at cruise speed. The eBee RTK is a blended 

wing body, fixed wing, unmanned aerial system (UAS). It consists of a central body and two 

wings attached to the body so they form tail-less hybrid wing body aircraft. The construction 

of eBee RTK adds to the safety of the aircraft because wings are detachable and there are no 

hard and sharp edges and almost no internal strengthening structure to the wings. The eBee 

RTK uses servo mechanism controlled ailerons to control aircraft in flight. It is powered by 

lithium polymer battery, stored in battery compartment, which drives an electric propeller. It is

hand launched, has maximum flight time of 40 minutes, and operates at a maximum cruising

speed of 26 mph and has wind resistance of 28 mph. 

The ground control station consists of a PC computer with eMotion flight planning and 

control software, 2.4 GHz remote control with range up to 1 km and 2.4 GHz ground modem 

which have a maximum data link range of 1.8 miles (3 km).

Remote control provides an override capability that allows the operator to take 

manual actions during the flight (Go Home, Go Land, Hold, and Resume mission), and 

also suspend automated operations and take manual control of the aircraft if emergent 

circumstances should arise.
The eBee has two options if it loses link/connection with ground control. As fully 

autonomous, this UAS can continue with planned flight and land at designated point, or it 

may immediately execute return to the landing site (Home waypoint) sequence. These 

options are set during the flight planning. AerialZeus will always and without exemption 

use this option for immediate execution of Home waypoint sequence if the link/connection 

with the UAS is lost. In-flight warnings for dangerous situations, such as low battery or strong 

wind, immediately triggers return to the Home waypoint sequence. If its ability to fly is severely 

compromised, such as loss of GPS/GLONASS signal or empty battery, the UAS will perform an 

emergency landing.

The eBee has extensive flight experience and a history of operational success worldwide, 

including over thousand flights in over 50 countries.

In 2015 eBee was used in monitoring of water quality in small reservoirs in Thailand. It 

was used to close the temporal gap between satellite imaging and in situ sampling ow water in 

reservoir. In addition, spatial resolution provided by satellite with multispectral sensor wasn’t 

high enough for reservoirs which cover several hectares. It was concluded that fine temporal 

resolution and mobility of this UAS demonstrated that they could effectively preclude the weather 

from harming aerial imaging, and compared with traditional techniques of photogrammetry or 

satellite remote sensing, UAS offer better ratio between cost and profit in the trophic state 

mapping of reservoirs.

In November of 2014, a team of researchers from the Climate Change research Centre was 

on three-week expedition on New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage 

Site. The team decided to use the eBee UAS because no other method of data collection could 

provide the imagery required in the limited time available. Traditional method of in site sampling 

would take weeks, if not been completely impossible due to the impenetrable density of 

vegetation. Such remote locations, like Sub-Antarctic regions, have poor satellite coverage, those 

images that do exist have relatively low resolution. Landsat images have spatial resolution of 30 

meters while eBee provided images with 8.8 cm per pixel which allowed identification of smaller 

scale features. Additional benefit from using eBee was that since it was mapping of 

environmentally sensitive location, low noise levels produced by eBee was important in protected 
areas that contain large bird population, which would have been big problem for standard manned 

aircraft.

In Turkey, a geomatics engineering company has used the eBee to map a railway corridor 

87 miles long and 1,968 feet wide with total survey area of more than 27,000 acres. They surveyed 

plains, hills, mountains, and urban areas. Mountain reach was exceptionally inaccessible for 

standard surveying equipment. The images gathered by the eBee were used to produce a whole 

range of useful data. They were able to produce point cloud with average grid of 20 cm/pixel. For 

a site of 100 hectares, classical techniques usually measure about 30, 000 points, while the eBee 

is able to measure about 25,000,000 points and thus give smooth terrain with much more detail. 

They concluded that the use of drone-technology gives them benefits in precision, flexibility and 

cost efficiency because it only took them no more than 10 people to map in high detail 87 miles 

of railroad.

In May 2015 McIntosh Perry Surveying Inc. collaborated with UKKO to conduct test eBee 

and its capability of low altitude aerial photography and compare accuracies of horizontal positions 

and vertical elevations against a topographic and site detail survey completed by McIntosh Perry 

on the same property in 2014 using Trimble R8 base and rover RTK GPS units. Site is primarily 

consisted of farmland and is being considered for development. The test has shown that a terrain 

model created by aerial imaging using the eBee platform can successfully compete in accuracy 

with conventional ground topographic survey completed using RTK GNSS receivers, comprising 

a base and rover. The real benefit showed in time difference; while ground survey required 4 days, 

aerial survey required only 1 hour, and amount of data gathered by eBee is much larger than those 

of ground survey. Ground survey collected 1,800 data points, selectively chosen by trained 

personnel, while the eBee collected 31,000,000 points. It is concluded that surfaces generated by 

aerial survey can be relied on to provide accurate topography and site detail at all points on the 

surface, without the large amount of interpolation required to construct a terrain model based on 

much more limited numbers of ground observations
SenseFly eXom – listed under number 821

The SenseFly eXom is an intelligent multi-rotor drone designed for close mapping and 

industrial inspection applications. UAS eXom is manufactured by company SenseFly located in 

Lausanne, Switzerland. 

System consists of lightweight battery operated aircraft with integrated sensors, ground 

control station and associated data link equipment. It is equipped with autopilot and GPS. The 

eXom is V shaped quadcopter with composite body, molded carbon fiber arms and legs, precision 

molded magnesium frame, and precision molded injected plastic. Total dimensions with shroud 

are 22 in (width), 32 in (length), and 7 in (height). Its total max weight is 3.7 lbs and operates at 

low cruising speeds with max air speed in manual mode of 27 mph and in automatic mode 18 mph. 

It is powered with LiPo 8500 mAh smart battery that drives 4 electric motors, each with one 

propeller. 

It is launched vertically from hand or small platform with flight duration limit of 22 

minutes, with max climb rate of 7m/s, and low cruise speed with max air speed of 10m/s 

(automatic flight) or 12m/s (manual flight). 

Ground station consists of PC computer with SenseFly eMotion X flight planning software 

and control software with ScreenFly controller for assisted interactive missions, and remote control 

for manual flight. The eXom has operational safety features like signalization lights (navigation 

and anti-collision lights), ground proximity detection (Avoidance procedure through automatic 

stop, and warning signals), Flight assistance features (Cruise control, distance lock, obstacle 

avoidance), and automated fail safe behaviors such as Geofencing, Return home, emergency stop, 

emergency landing.

The eXom has digital, omnidirectional antennas, dual band, encrypted communication link, 

at 2.4 GHz and 5GHz ISM bands (country dependent), with range of up to 1.2 miles. Remote 

Control link uses frequency of 2.4 GHz with range of up to 800m.

It has five navcam sensors, and five ultrasound proximity sensors. Thanks to the situational 

awareness provided by this array of sensors the eXom can fly close to objects in order to achieve 

submillimeter GSDs (1mm GSD at 6m distance).
This small, lightweight aircraft that operates at relatively slow speeds will pose little to no 

hazard to people or structures on the ground, thus making it an exponentially safer alternative to 

manned, fixed wing aircraft for aerial imaging.

The primary function of the eXom is to provide aerial imagery using one of two integrated 

geo-reference cameras. Those cameras offer high resolution RAW still images, HD video and 

Thermal still images and video. 

High resolution data generated from these cameras offer a wide range of applications 

through analysis, such as geo-referenced high resolution mapping, 2D orthomosaics, 3D building 

models, high resolution digital surface inspection of bridges, towers, rooftops, and cliff faces for 

cracks, construction monitoring, solar panels and wind turbines hot spot detections, conservation, 

agricultural and environmental monitoring.

The eXom is hand launched on-site, requiring no runway for take-off and landing and no 

transit to and from the site. Once airborne, the eXom will fly at an altitude of 400 ft. AGL or less 

over the designated object or area. Prior to flight, the Pilot in Command (PIC) sets a designated 

flight area and flight parameters to ensure that the eXom will remain within the confines of the 

approved site and not exceed a maximum altitude 400 ft. AGL. If a critical issue such as a low 

battery state or a loss of data-link is detected at any time the eXom will immediately execute a 

return-to-launch sequence. The eXom’s small operational footprint and built-in safety protocol 

provide a much safer alternative for aerial imaging and would pose a minimal hazard to the NAS 

or public.

In September 2015 two eXom were used for close mapping and inspection project during 

which gathered images that reached a global precision comparable to that of a total station survey. 

The site presented a complex environment, with buildings, trees, and on-site crane. Data was 

gathered with two drones for repeatable results. 

Even flying in low-light conditions, the eXom survey produced a 3D point cloud of 

millimeter accuracy, equivalent to the accuracy achievable using a total station. 
The eXom solution—the drone and its two included software programs—is therefore proved to 

be a high performance surveying instrument, capable of fitting into existing surveying 

workflows.