UAV Autopilot Systems

Suppliers and manufacturers of drone autopilots and automatic control systems for UAVs and UAS.
Overview UAV Autopilot Systems
By Staff Writer Last updated: November 23rd, 2024

What is an UAV Autopilot Unit?

Veronte UAV Autopilot Kit

Veronte UAV Autopilot Kit

UAV autopilot systems allow an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a drone, to perform entire missions autonomously without the need for manual remote control. These missions may include cargo delivery, mapping, surveillance and many other applications. Operators use ground control stations to set the parameters of the mission and the UAV autopilot directs the drone or other unmanned craft to complete the task.

How Does an UAV Autopilot Work?

By combining an array of sensors including gyros, magnetometers and accelerometers with a GPS, flight control CPUs are able to use the data on the attitude, velocity, position and heading of the UAV to direct the flight and operation of the vehicle according to the parameters set by the user. Other sensors may also allow the autopilot to avoid obstructions and collisions whilst operating.

Fully autonomous UAVs can carry out entire flight plans, including VTOL or runway take-offs, inflight manoeuvres, and landing. Options to pilot the UAVs manually or with an assisted manual function are also available on some UAV autopilot systems in addition to the fully automated setting. Most UAV autopilots have single or multiple redundancy systems to keep the vehicle in flight and operational in the event of a system failure.

UAV autopilot systems are available for all kinds of UAVs, including fixed wings, multirotors, helicopter drones, parafoils, blimps and tethered drones. Some manufacturers use a common set of hardware and software to operate all of these vehicles by using custom flight phases and control channels. Others may use the same hardware with different software.

AP102 Mini Automatic Control System for UAVGround Control Stations

Because the applications for drone autopilot systems are so varied, the control systems used to operate them are often highly customisable. They are usually based on off-the-shelf or custom computers or tablets running Windows, Linux or Android operating systems.

Control stations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) autopilots aim to be as user-friendly as possible, allowing users to easily set flight plans and edit them mid-flight, adding in waypoints or making changes where needed. Many control units feature built-in mission simulators, as well as safety pilot modes that allow operators to take manual control of the UAV in an emergency. Other ground control station features may include video receiving, mapping functions, payload control, and simultaneous vehicle control.

Applications for UAV Autopilots

Piccolo SL Autopilot for sUAS

Piccolo SL Autopilot for sUAS

Drone GPS autopilot systems are useful for a wide range of applications within the construction and architecture industries as well as in agriculture and crop management. They are used widely in mapping and topology and extensively in surveillance. Mining, oil and gas operations also use drone autopilot systems for a number of important functions.

UAV autopilot systems are generally robust units designed to guide drones and other UAVs to perform set operations autonomously with minimal user input. They are used across a wide variety of industries to carry out all kinds of functions with a range of different UAVs.

Products (16)

Pixhawk RPi CM4 Baseboard

Raspberry Pi 4-powered baseboard for Pixhawk Autopilot Bus flight controllers

Raspberry Pi 4-powered baseboard for Pixhawk Autopilot Bus flight controllers
...y PAB (Pixhawk Autopilot Bus) form factor flight controller, including Holybro's Pixhawk 6X, with a...
Pixhawk 6C Mini Flight Controller

Miniature dual-redundant drone flight controller

Miniature dual-redundant drone flight controller
...7 CPU with PX4 Autopilot pre-installed and featuring redundant low-noise IMUs. It has been designed...
Kakute H743-Wing Flight Controller

Fixed-wing and VTOL drone flight controller with multiple BEC outputs

Fixed-wing and VTOL drone flight controller with multiple BEC outputs
The Kakute H743 Wing is a full-featured board-level flight controller specifically designed for fixe...
Kakute H7 v1.3 Flight Controller

Ultra-miniature board-level drone flight controller

Ultra-miniature board-level drone flight controller
The Kakute H7 v1.3 flight controller provides a wide range of functionality in a miniature footprint...
Pixhawk 6X Flight Controller

Modular triple-redundant UAV flight controller

Modular triple-redundant UAV flight controller
The Pixhawk 6X flight controller features triple-redundant IMU sensors and dual barometers, and util...
Pixhawk 6C Flight Controller

Cost-effective dual-redundant drone flight controller

Cost-effective dual-redundant drone flight controller
...7 CPU with PX4 Autopilot pre-installed. It has been designed with a vibration isolation system that...
Pixhawk 6X Pro Flight Controller

Triple-redundant UAV flight controller with high dynamic range

Triple-redundant UAV flight controller with high dynamic range
The Pixhawk 6X Pro drone flight controller provides triple-redundant IMUs including a main industria...
Pixhawk Jetson Baseboard

NVIDIA Jetson-powered baseboard for Pixhawk Autopilot Bus flight controllers

NVIDIA Jetson-powered baseboard for Pixhawk Autopilot Bus flight controllers
...of the Pixhawk Autopilot Bus (PAB) open source specification. It can be used with any PAB (Pixhawk...
VECTOR-600 Autopilot

Advanced flight control computer for fixed-wing & VTOL UAVs

Advanced flight control computer for fixed-wing & VTOL UAVs
... VECTOR-600 is UAV Navigation's most advanced autopilot, featuring built-in physical and logical...
VECTOR-400 Autopilot

Mil-spec autopilot designed for aerial targets

Mil-spec autopilot designed for aerial targets
...a cutting-edge autopilot that has been specifically developed for aerial target applications, and is...
Skynode S Drone Flight Controller

Compact autopilot & mission computer with AI capabilities

Compact autopilot & mission computer with AI capabilities
Skynode S is a compact NDAA-compliant chip-down flight controller and mission computing solution tha...
Cube Orange+

Advanced open-source autopilot for drones & robotics

Advanced open-source autopilot for drones & robotics
...ed open-source autopilot for autonomous drones and unmanned vehicles, based around 400MHz Cortex M7...
Veronte Autopilot DRx

Redundancy and independence for maximum safety

Redundancy and independence for maximum safety
The Veronte Autopilot DRx has been specifically designed to comply with the certification... ...ncy in Veronte Autopilot DRx features independent redundant hardware on 3 levels. This architecture...
Skynode X

Integrated autopilot and mission computer hardware for drones and robotics

Integrated autopilot and mission computer hardware for drones and robotics
.... The low-SWaP system is ideal for multirotor, fixed-wing and VTOL drones as well as UGVs and USVs....
Veronte Autopilot 4x

Fully-redundant safety-critical drone autopilot

Fully-redundant safety-critical drone autopilot
The Veronte Autopilot 4x is a redundant system for safety-critical applications such as UAM,... The Veronte Autopilot 4x can be connected to a range of third-party LOS, 4G/LTE and Satcom datalink...
Veronte Autopilot 1x

Compact UAV flight control system

Compact UAV flight control system
The Veronte Autopilot 1x is a compact aviation-grade system that provides high-reliability control...

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