Industrial Drones & UAVs

Suppliers and manufacturers of Industrial Drones and Commercial UAV for critical infrastructure, oil and gas, rail and power-line inspection
Overview Industrial Drones & UAVs
By Staff Writer Last updated: January 30th, 2025

Drones & UAVs for Industrial Applications

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones, are used to inspect a wide variety of industrial applications. Unobtrusive and non-disruptive, drone aerial inspection minimises the risk to human life by undertaking vital mapping and assessment tasks in difficult to access areas, for example; the monitoring of equipment and structures at height, spanning vast uninhabited areas or within confined spaces.

Industrial Drone by Microdrones
Industrial Drone by Microdrones

Commercial & Industrial Uses

Industries for which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are particularly effective include the oil and gas industry, the construction industry, rail networks and communication providers.

Typical industrial applications include the inspection, mapping & surveying of:

  • Oil and gas pipelines
  • Powerlines
  • Railroads
  • Roof
  • Wind turbines
  • Solar panels
  • Bridges
  • Nuclear facilities
  • Utilities
  • Tanks and confined spaces
Industrial Unmanned Helicopter by SwissDrones
Industrial Unmanned Helicopter by SwissDrones

Industrial Drone Imaging Technology

Capable of close range, low level flight, industrial inspection drones can be equipped with varying payloads including; multispectral cameras, LiDAR payloads, photogrammetry solutions, Electro Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, emissions monitoring hardware and thermal imagery cameras.

Enabling real-time surveillance using:

  • Infrared imagery
  • Thermal imagery
  • High definition video
  • High resolution pictures
  • Point cloud data

Drones and UAS are faster and more cost effective than using helicopters and manned aircraft. With the ability to fly much lower to the ground than standard manned aircraft, VTOL industrial drones can also hover in place, making them ideally suited to regular maintenance inspections, risk monitoring and assessment for repair missions.

VTOL Fixed Wing Industrial Drone by Censys
VTOL Fixed Wing Industrial Drone by Censys

Types of Industrial Drone

Fixed Wing Industrial UAV

Fixed wing drones are suited to vast area inspection. Capable of long flight times, they can cover considerable distances in a single flight. Typically fixed wing UAVs require a reasonable footprint for take-off and landing, making them suited to agricultural and pipeline inspection, although depending on the UAV, not so suited to launch at sea.

VTOL Inspection Drones

VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drones have no requirement for a large take-off and landing area, however they traditionally have a shorter operational flight time than fixed wing UAVs. This is countered by the VTOL ability to hover in place and the wide variety of VTOL drones available for commercial and industrial applications, including: quadcopters, multirotors and unmanned helicopters.

VTOL Industrial Drone by Acecore
VTOL Industrial Drone by Acecore

Advantages of Industrial Drones

Equipped with obstacle avoidance capabilities drones can navigate very close to structures, including cliff and mountain faces, towers and bridges. Advantages of utilising unmanned technology for industrial applications include:

  • Greatly reduced risk to workers
  • Reduced shutdown times
  • Minimal environmental impact
  • High resolution, real-time data capture
  • Cost effective solutions compared to helicopters and manned flights
  • Low level flight capability

Frequently Asked Questions

What industries are currently using drones as part of their business model?

Industrial drones are already proving an efficient and cost effective solution for many industries such as: construction, agriculture, oil and gas, renewable fuels, mining and forestry.

How do oil companies use drones?

Drones are revolutionising the oil and gas industry by:

  • Facilitating safe and efficient monitoring and management of assets.
  • Conducting routine inspections faster and with less risk.
  • Increasing situational awareness with the use of live video streaming.
  • Using thermal cameras to identify potential hazards.
  • Accessing hard to reach areas such as offshore platforms and storage tanks.
  • Supporting emergency responders in the event of fires, breakages and leaks.
  • A variety of remotely operated vehicles, including underwater ROVs and UUVs, can quickly assist oil companies with all of this and more, with less risk to human life and at a fraction of the cost.

Products (29)

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ScanLift M Series

Medium- to heavy-lift quadcopter with four- and eight-rotor configurations

Medium- to heavy-lift quadcopter with four- and eight-rotor configurations
The ScanLift M Series is a professional medium- to heavy-lift multirotor UAS that allows professiona...
Galaxy

Heavy-lift helicopter UAV with direct drive electric tail system

Heavy-lift helicopter UAV with direct drive electric tail system
The Galaxy is a heavy-lift unmanned helicopter that is the world's first single-rotor-UAV to use a d...
Star-X VTOL-7000HP VTOL UAV

Advanced coaxial hybrid VTOL UAV with 80 kg payload capacity

Advanced coaxial hybrid VTOL UAV with 80 kg payload capacity
...of commercial, industrial and government applications including firefighting, disaster relief and...
IF1200 | Heavy-lift Hexacopter sUAS

Certified Blue UAS and NDAA compliant heavy lift drone

Certified Blue UAS and NDAA compliant heavy lift drone
......s a leader in flight time and efficiency for industrial, commercial, and enterprise applications....
IF800 Tomcat Medium-lift Quadcopter Drone

Portable quadcopter for industry professionals, enterprise users, and first responders

Portable quadcopter for industry professionals, enterprise users, and first responders
Designed for industry professionals, enterprise users, and first responders, the IF800 TOMCAT sets a...
Velos V3 Helicopter UAV

Small helicopter drone with fully redundant design

Small helicopter drone with fully redundant design
The Velos V3 is the next-generation version of the versatile Velos unmanned helicopter platform, fea...
Velos POR Helicopter UAV

Unmanned helicopter with payload over rotor configuration

Unmanned helicopter with payload over rotor configuration
The Velos POR is a variant of the V3 unmanned helicopter that enables payloads to be mounted above t...
FDG50F Hybrid VTOL UAV Airframe

Long-endurance UAV frame with 10kg payload capacity

Long-endurance UAV frame with 10kg payload capacity
The FD50F is a hybrid VTOL UAV that combines the manoeuvrability of multirotor platforms with the lo...
FDG51 Heavy Load Tandem-Wing UAV

Heavy-payload drone with 55kg capacity

Heavy-payload drone with 55kg capacity
The FDG51 is a heavy-lift VTOL drone with a unique tandem-wing configuration and a lightweight carbo...
X8 Heavy-Duty Multirotor Drone

Versatile hybrid power heavy-payload drone for industrial & public safety applications

Versatile hybrid power heavy-payload drone for industrial & public safety applications
The rugged industrial UAV platform is engineered for high performance under highly challenging...
Voliro T UAS

Advanced drone platform for non-destructive testing & contact inspection

Advanced drone platform for non-destructive testing & contact inspection
Voliro T is a state-of-the-art UAS (unmanned aerial system) designed specifically for non-destructiv...
ILM Industrial Quadcopter

Portable intermediate-lift multirotor drone with 11 lb payload capacity

Portable intermediate-lift multirotor drone with 11 lb payload capacity
...or (ILM) is an industrial-grade quadcopter that can carry up to 11 lbs and is designed for excellent...
HLM Industrial Quadcopter

Versatile heavy-lift drone with 31 lb capacity and maximum undercarriage space

Versatile heavy-lift drone with 31 lb capacity and maximum undercarriage space
...adcopter is an industrial-grade UAS that can carry up to 31 lbs and is designed for excellent...
HLM Industrial Octocopter

Class-leading 66 lb payload capacity for specialized missions

Class-leading 66 lb payload capacity for specialized missions
ASW's industrial-grade Heavy Lift Multirotor (HLM) Octocopter is the company's largest and most...
HLM Industrial Hexacopter

Heavy-payload drone with enhanced stability and 56 lb capacity

Heavy-payload drone with enhanced stability and 56 lb capacity
...xacopter is an industrial-grade UAS that can carry up to 56 lbs and is designed for undertaking...
FB3 Heavy-Lift Multirotor Drone

All-electric heavy payload UAV with 100 kg carrying capacity

All-electric heavy payload UAV with 100 kg carrying capacity
The FB3 is a unique all-electric heavy-lift cargo drone with an unmatched combination of carrying ca...
Flyby F-11 Drone

NDAA-compliant autonomous quadcopter UAV with powerful AI & ML capabilities

NDAA-compliant autonomous quadcopter UAV with powerful AI & ML capabilities
The Flyby F-11 is a versatile quadcopter drone developed and assembled in the United States with a f...
SkyInspector Drone

Long Range Quadcopter for inspection & surveillance

Long Range Quadcopter for inspection & surveillance
...m designed for industrial inspection and security surveillance. Featuring a convenient foldable...
SDO 50 V2 Helicopter UAV

Versatile long-range autonomous helicopter drone

Versatile long-range autonomous helicopter drone
The SDO 50 V2 is a state-of-the-art unmanned helicopter with a flight endurance of over 3 hours and ...
MX860 Coaxial Multirotor Drone

Long endurance industrial drone

Long endurance industrial drone
The MX860 is a coaxial multi-rotor UAV with improved safety performance, load capacity and flight ti...
M1200 Multirotor Drone

Long endurance large payload industrial drone

Long endurance large payload industrial drone
The M1200, designed for surveying and 3D mapping, has the capabilities to fly for over 70 minutes wi...
M690B Multirotor Drone

Industrial quadcoptor designed to support a wide range of operations

Industrial quadcoptor designed to support a wide range of operations
The M690B multirotor drone with a smart battery features a lightweight design with long endurance c...
Noa Hybrid – long-endurance hexacopter

Hybrid gas-electric drone with 175 min flight time

Hybrid gas-electric drone with 175 min flight time
Noa Hybrid is a long-endurance hexacopter drone with a hybrid gas-electric powertrain, enabling the ...
DeltaQuad VTOL UAV

Fully-Electric Hybrid VTOL Fixed Wing UAV

Fully-Electric Hybrid VTOL Fixed Wing UAV
The DeltaQuad Pro DeltaQuad Pro series of fully electric UAVs is designed for high stability in bo...
WISPR Ranger Pro Industrial Quadcopter

Rugged quadcopter with versatile payload capabilities

Rugged quadcopter with versatile payload capabilities
The Ranger Pro 1100 is a rugged quadcopter platform that provides a flight time of up to 38 minutes ...
Sonda X8 UAS

Foldable multi-mission octocopter

Foldable multi-mission octocopter
The Sonda X8 is a multipurpose coaxial-rotor octocopter drone that can be equipped with a wide range...
Black Swift E2 Inspection Quadcopter UAS

Autonomous quadcopter aerial inspection drone

Autonomous quadcopter aerial inspection drone
...structural and industrial inspections. Capable of fully autonomous operation, the E2 is able to...
Acecore Neo Octocopter

Weatherproof octocopter for heavy lift and security operations.

Weatherproof octocopter for heavy lift and security operations.
Neo is an advanced heavy-lift multirotor drone powered by eight motors, designed to easily handle bu...
Acecore Zoe Quadcopter

Portable quadcopter for high wind inspection, security and mapping.

Portable quadcopter for high wind inspection, security and mapping.
Zoe is a highly portable quadcopter drone with a foldable design for easy transportation and deploym...

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Professional, US-Made Multirotor Drones for Commercial & Government Applications

Velos Rotors

Unmanned Helicopter UAVs: Single Rotor VTOL Drones for LiDAR Surveys, Cargo & Medical Deliveries

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Xer Technologies

Heavy-Duty, Heavy Payload Drones for Industrial Inspections, Public Safety and Search & Rescue

Gadfin

Fixed-Wing Hybrid Drones for Long-Range Medical Package Delivery & Infrastructure Inspections

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Hydrogen-Powered Drones, Fuel Cell Propulsion Systems & Drone-in-a-Box Stations | Hydrogen Engineering Services

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Electric Unmanned Helicopters & Supporting Unmanned Aircraft Equipment

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VTOL and Fixed Wing UAVs, Autopilots, Engines, GCS, Components and Payloads for UAS

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Hybrid VTOL Fixed Wing UAV for Autonomous Mapping, Surveillance, Inspection and VTOL Cargo Applications

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Customizable, Industrial Quadcopter Drone for Aerial Mapping, Surveying & Inspections

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