Radar Altimeters for Drones & UAV

Radar Altimeter manufacturers and suppliers of Drone Radar Altimeters used by UAS, multirotors, and unmanned helicopters for precision takeoff & landing, terrain-following, and fixed-height hovering
Overview Radar Altimeters for Drones & UAV
By Staff Writer Last updated: October 20th, 2023

Drone Radar Altimeters

Radar altimeters designed for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) may be lightweight and compact in order to provide minimal impact upon the aircraft’s SWaP (size, weight and power) footprint. They may be compatible with a variety of different flight controllers, and communicate via interfaces such as CAN, UART or RS232/422 serial.

They devices that measure the altitude above the current terrain directly below their position, making them different to other devices that report altitude relative to other references such as mean sea level (MSL). They are commonly used by UAVs and drones, particularly in areas where detailed DEMs (digital elevation models) or other terrain data are incomplete or unavailable.

Radar altimetry uses pulses of radio waves that are transmitted downwards and reflected back to the device. The time taken for the reflection to be received is measured, and this is used along with the known speed of electromagnetic waves to calculate distance.

Advantages

LR-D1 Pro dual-band radar altimeter for larger VTOL drones by Ainstein

LR-D1 Pro dual-band radar altimeter for larger VTOL drones by Ainstein

Radar altimeters provide a number of advantages over other technologies such as LiDAR or laser altimeters and vision-based technologies. They can perform under conditions such as heavy rain, fog, and smoke and under all illumination conditions without suffering any loss in effectiveness. They are also better suited to environments with tree canopies and heavy vegetation. Unlike LiDAR pulses which are easily absorbed by water, radar waves are heavily reflected, making radar altimeters more suitable for drones flying over lakes, rivers, maritime environments and large bodies of water.

Applications

CRA - UAV Radar Altimeter

CRA Radar Altimeter by Meteksan

Drone altimeters are used for a range of different applications. They may assist in precision takeoff and landing, particularly for autonomous systems. They can be used for terrain-following, and as a safety measure as part of a ground proximity warning system. Unmanned helicopters and multirotor drones may use UAV altimeters to enable fixed-height hovering. Military drones may also use them to maintain an altitude that is very close to the ground, in order to escape detection by enemy radar and weapons systems.

Products (4)

CRA C-Band Radar Altimeter

Miniature high-precision UAV radar altimeter

Miniature high-precision UAV radar altimeter
... low-power CRA Radar Altimeters provide UAVs with high-accuracy AGL (Above Ground Level) information...
US-D1 Radar Altimeter

Compact all-weather radar altimeter for UAVs

Compact all-weather radar altimeter for UAVs
...ht and compact radar altimeter that is ideal for a wide range of drone platforms, featuring easy...
LR-D1 Pro Radar Altimeter

Dual-band radar altimeter for larger VTOL drones

Dual-band radar altimeter for larger VTOL drones
...is an advanced radar altimeter utilizing two antennas and sophisticated sensor fusion to provide...
LR-D1 Radar Altimeter

Long-range airborne radar altimeter for commercial, industrial & tactical drones

Long-range airborne radar altimeter for commercial, industrial & tactical drones
...s a long-range radar altimeter that delivers high-accuracy data even in low visibility and the most...

Related Articles

Radar Altimeter for VTOL Drone Reconnaissance & Surveillance

Ainstein outlines how its US-D1 radar altimeter is ideal for reconnaissance and surveillance, providing high-precision, real-time altitude readouts to industrial and tactical UAVs

Jul 17, 2024
Long-Range Radar Altimeter for Geophysical Surveying UAV

Ainstein outlines how its LR-D1 radar altimeter is ideal for geophysical surveying and mapping missions, functioning onboard UAVs to report altitude at an update rate of 40 Hz, even in harsh conditions

Jul 02, 2024
Precision Radar Altimeter for Long-Range UAV & Target Drones

Ainstein has released an article discussing the benefits of its LR-D1 Pro radar altimeter, detailing how it integrates with UAVs, who it’s ideal for, and the overall reasons to use a radar altimeter

Jun 13, 2024
Benefits of UAV Precision Radars for Wildfire Monitoring

Designed for low altitude flights and precise positioning, Ainstein explores the advantages of using its US-D1 radar altimeter in drones for forestry management and wildfire surveillance

May 28, 2024
Autonomous Crop Spraying: Precision With Altimetry & Terrain-Following

Ainstein has released an article outlining the use of its US-D1 altimeter in crop-spraying drones, including its benefits, ideal uses, and how it works on UAVs and agrodrones

May 09, 2024
US-D1 Radar Altimeter Achieves Major Production Milestone

Trusted leader in radar sensing solutions Ainstein has celebrated the wide-scale international adoption of the US-D1 Radar Altimeter with a price reduction following the delivery of the 20,000th unit

Apr 30, 2024
Radar Altimeters for UAVs & Autonomous Vehicles

Ainstein's radar sensing technologies enable intelligent flight and navigation for drones and robotics

Sep 15, 2023
New Radar Altimeters Designed to Mitigate 5G Interference

FreeFlight Systems has released a new series of radar altimeters for heavy rotorcraft, turboprops, business aviation, and military segments designed...

Jan 26, 2021
UAV Standard Radar Altimeter Authorized by FCC

Ainstein, a developer of intelligent radar systems for small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), has announced that the U.S. FCC has...

Dec 23, 2019
Gold Partners
Meteksan Defense

UAV Components: SAR, Radar Altimeter, Data Links, Telemetry, GNSS Products & C-UAS | Tactical USVs

Silver Partners
Ainstein

Radar Sensors for UAVs and Drones: Accessible, Scalable and Reliable

Related Categories