Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft without human pilots. In recent years, with the rapid development of drones, more and more industries have also integrated into the drone market, and the types of drones have gradually diversified. So, what are the types of drones? Below we will introduce it.
What are the types of drones? (Comparison of advantages and disadvantages)
According to different aerial platforms, there are four main types of drones: fixed wing drones, multi rotor drones, vertical takeoff and landing fixed wing drones, and unmanned helicopters. Below, we will first introduce the advantages and disadvantages of four types of drones in the form of a table:
- Fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle
Fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles have fixed wings and rely on the wind passing over the wings to provide lift.
The advantages of fixed wing drones are fast speed and long range.
The disadvantage is that the takeoff and landing site is limited and requires runways or manual throwing, while catapult takeoff and landing can only be done by sliding or parachuting. - Multi rotor unmanned aerial vehicle
Multi rotor unmanned aerial vehicles are flight platforms composed of multiple power systems, commonly including quadcopters, hexacopters, octrons, and even more rotors.
The advantages of multi rotor drones are relatively simple operation, vertical takeoff and landing, low requirements for takeoff and landing sites, and the ability to hover at any time. The disadvantages are slow flight speed and short endurance. - Vertical takeoff and landing fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle
Vertical takeoff and landing fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles take off and land in a multi rotor manner and fly in a fixed wing manner. Vertical takeoff and landing fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles integrate the advantages of both multi rotor and fixed wing systems.
It combines the advantages of safe and convenient vertical takeoff and landing for rotary wing aircraft and fast speed and long range for fixed wing aircraft, with low requirements for takeoff and landing sites and good maneuverability.
Because it can take off and land vertically, maintenance costs are higher, and compared to fixed wing drones, the range needs to be reduced. Due to the addition of propellers, the load capacity needs to be reduced. - Unmanned helicopter
Unmanned helicopters rely on one or two main rotors to provide lift. Unmanned helicopters can be widely used in industries such as oil inspection, geographic surveying, highway inspection, police security, agricultural and forestry environmental protection, and forestry testing.
The advantages of unmanned helicopters are small requirements for takeoff and landing sites, ability to hover in the air, high load capacity, and long endurance.
The disadvantage is that the structure is relatively complex and the control difficulty is also high.