Robust VTOL Performance
Helicopter drone hover performance is unmatched by any other vehicle type. More power and heavier payloads than multirotors. Far longer hover duration than VTOL planes, up to 45 minutes compared to often just 2. Plus unmatched stability in wind compared to either alternative, they can tolerate high wind turbulence, while facing in any direction.
Fast Forward Flight
Helicopters benefit from reduced power consumption at cruise speed, offering far greater range than multirotors for applications requiring fast forward flight such as mapping or line inspection. They can even offer better wind penetration than many airplane designs, allowing higher ground speed on upwind legs.
More Efficient Flight Plans
Capable of square corners, helicopters can make more efficient flight paths when flying grid patterns than airplanes. This results in quicker missions, but also allows mapping right to the edge of obstacles and borders.
Longer Flight Range
All of this combines to give helicopters longer flight duration and range, especially when hovering and forward flight must be combined into a single mission, or when heavy payloads must be lifted.
Compact Transport and Rapid Deployment
Helicopter drones require less space for transportation than comparable multirotors and airplanes. And the deployment process is faster, simply unfold the blades, a helicopter can be ready to fly in seconds.
Mature Technology
Helicopter technology has been developed and perfected in the full-scale aviation industry decades ago. While small-scale model helicopters have been made for over 20 years. The technology is mature and proven, compared to multirotor and VTOL airplane drones.
