4 Types of Drones: Find What is Best for You? Leave a comment
Do you remember how people used to communicate in ancient times through pigeons, letters, telegrams, etc? Now it’s all on your smartphone and the time has reduced to seconds. But imagine if technology did not advance, would you have them now? No!
Similarly, technological advancements have led to improved versions of drones. With time, more efficient types of drones at lower prices are becoming available for users. There is an immense variety possessing unique characteristics but we can’t remember all of them. So, they are commonly classified based on their wing types.
Consequently, you can find four major types of drones as follows:
- Fixed-Wing Drone
- Fixed-Wing Hybrid Drone
- Single Rotor Drone
- Multi Rotor Drone
So, come and let’s find out what distinguishes these drones from each other. Where can we use them and what are their capabilities? Everything you need to before buying the right fit suitable for your desired purpose. Let’s begin!
4 Types of Drones
Usually, there are way too many types of drones that will drive you crazy if you sit to learn. That’s why we’re here to simplify this for you. Largely, they are classified based on their wing types although there are other significant ones as well.
1. Fixed-Wing Drone
As the name suggests, these types of drones contain a single and static rotor blade. Their design and structure resemble the one of an airplane making them energy-efficient. It doesn’t need energy to live, only to move forward in the air.
Consequently, they have high fly time and endurance. They can fly at high altitudes while carrying more weight. However, they’re expensive for the same reasons but if used for big projects like agriculture or aerial mapping, it’s the suitable option.
Advantages:
- High flight time and endurance
- Ability to carry heavy loads
- Flying at high altitudes
- Substantial Stability in the winds
- Faster flight speeds
Disadvantages:
- Costly Deal
- Requires trained personnel to regulate
- Difficult to land due to its large size
- No VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing)
Applications:
- Aerial Mapping
- Multiple Uses in Agriculture
- Surveying (ex-Forest UAV surveys)
- Security surveillance
- Utility inspection
2. Single Rotor Drone
Single-rotor drones are known for their strength and durability. These types of drones consist of only a single rotor blade backed up with a supporting blade which facilitates balance and stability in the winds.
They look like helicopters due to their design and structure. Their spinning blade allows a very long blade which makes it even more efficient over multi-rotor drones. They have a lot more in common with fixed-wing drones such as their costly values and difficulty to use.
Advantages:
- More efficient than Multi-rotor drones
- If gas is used as fuel, the efficiency and durability enhances
- Capability to hover with heavy payloads
- Higher flight speeds
- Strong and Durable
Disadvantages:
- Expensive to buy
- Difficult to fly, hence requires more training
- Dangerous to use
- Complex and comparatively unstable
- Demands a lot of maintenance
Applications:
- Helpful in carrying heavier payloads
- Aerial surveying
- Aerial LIDAR Laser Scan
3. Multi-Rotor Drones
Are you looking to buy an affordable, easy-to-use and stable drone? Here’s your best option. Unlike single-rotor drones, multi-rotor drones have multiple spinning blades. Commonly, Quadcopters (4 rotors) are used while the other ones include tricopters (3 rotors), hexacopters (6 rotors) and octocopter (8 rotors).
They are cheaper and easier to use. Additionally, they allow greater control over positioning and angle adjustment making it a perfect fit for aerial photography and surveillance. Its operational efficiency is also high.
Advantages:
- Can hover closely to building structures
- Offers VTOL
- Cheapers drones
- Easy to use and manoeuvre
- Ability to carry multiple payloads at once reducing inspection time
Disadvantages:
- Lower endurance and speed
- Lesser flight time
- Limited weight of payloads
- Unstable in the winds
- Inefficient and limited to the electric source of energy
Applications:
- Aerial Photography and videography
- Land Surveying
- Drone inspection
- 3D scans
- Agriculture
4. Fixed-Wing Hybrid Drones
Fixed-wing hybrid drones are characterized by the combined benefits and features of fixed-wing and rotor drones. They have rotors attached to their fixed wings facilitating vertical take-offs and landing and hovering.
This is currently the newest and most advanced drone technology in the market but only a few pieces are available. With technological advancements, they hold the potential to become more popular among the target audience of the drone market.
Advantages:
- Highly stable and durable
- Autopilot reduces the workload of drone pilot
- Perfect for VTOL and hovering
- Elevated flight time
- Combined work of rotor-based and fixed-wing drones
Disadvantages:
- Complex structure
- Require trained personnel
- Expensive to buy
- Limited aircraft are available in the market
- Nascent technology used
Applications:
- Aerial Mapping
- Surveillance
- Helpful in rescue operations
- Used for various purposes in Agriculture
Well, till now you learnt about the most commonly known or used types of drones. However, drones are also classified based on their size and weight. So, let’s take a brief look at them as well.
More Significant drones
These drones are very small in size. Their length can vary from 1cm to 50 cm which means that it can be as small as an insect and you can cover it with your palms. They can be used by spies to gather information. The British military often brings this drone into use.
1. Nano Drones
These drones are very small in size. Their length can vary from 1cm to 50 cm which means that it can be as small as an insect and you can cover it with your palms. They can be used by spies to gather information. The British military often brings this drone into use.
2. Tactical drones
Tactical drones are larger but lightweight. Measuring 4.5 feet and weighing up to 4.2 lbs, they are well-equipped with GPS technology and cameras. Given their features, they are suitable to use for surveillance.
3. Large Combat Drones
Large combat drones are exceptionally huge and heavy with a flying range of 4000 miles. They are specifically used during wars to drop laser-guided bombs and throw fire missiles on the target. They can function for 14 hours non-stop.
4. Photography drones
While the above-mentioned drone can be used for photography, commercial photographers prefer these drones. Because they consist of 4K cameras providing high-resolution pictures and auto flight mode to facilitate better stability for precision in pictures.
5. Target and Decoy Drones
This is another helper of the military as they are particularly manufactured to monitor and strike targets. Their look and structure vary from mission to mission.
Summary
There was a time when drone technology was not in existence and now is a time when there are specific drones available for particular purposes. We mentioned some of the major types that you should be aware of before making a final purchase decision.
Based on the wings, there are four common drones – Fixed-wing, fixed-wing hybrid, single-rotor and multi-rotor drones. Although they cover the majority of applications, some special drones also exist for military or non-commercial purposes.
Further, large combat drones and target and decoy drones can be understood as the best examples of military drones. So, don’t get confused and choose the right drones catering best to your purposes.
