Changes in the UAV Cameras Market

The UAV/UAS industry has grown at such an amazing rate, it’s almost impossible to count or describe all the applications that have become normal practice, not to mention the number of companies involved in either making drone platforms or supplying drone integrators with sensors: GNSS, inertial, lidar, cameras such as thermal imagers, infrared, video and more.

Surveillance and reconnaissance activities are probably the largest military drone applications. Carrying payloads that include video cameras and infrared night vision cameras have become commonplace. Some drones fly at relatively low altitude, with limited range and are powered by a single quiet electric motor; these drones have become essential in gathering forward-situation intelligence.

Military business remains a major source of revenue for the UAV/UAS industry, as demonstrated by the recent award of several contracts to various drone suppliers.

Different UAV platforms and sensors are already used in mapping. Many of them are equipped with modified cameras as resourced from the consumer market. Even though these systems normally fulfill their required mapping accuracy, the question arises: Which system performs the best? Answering this question requires a “benchmark” in order to check selected UAV based camera systems in well-defined, reproducible environments.

CONTROP’s Short Range STAMP Payloads were designed for very low weight requirements, incorporating lightweight technologies and utilizing a lightweight dome cover and window, in order to minimize the weight, for Day or Night use onboard tactical “over-the hill” miniature UAVs. The STAMP Payloads are available with a color CCD Camera with optical zoom or with Un-Cooled Thermal Camera with or without optical zoom.