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