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3 Axis Gimbal with Camera: Roll-Stabilised UAV Payloads

Range of HITS stabilised UAV camera payloads and ground control stationFixed-wing UAV fitted with a HITS stabilised imaging payloadMultirotor UAV with a HITS camera payload patrolling overhead power linesHITS camera payloads on display stands at an industry exhibitionOnboard imagery from a HITS camera payload with automatic target tracking
Three-axis stabilisation

3 Axis Gimbal with Camera: Roll-Stabilised UAV Payloads

12 three-axis models · 400 g – 1.5 kg

A third axis adds roll stabilisation on top of pitch and yaw. That is what lets a long focal length hold a small target in wind, on a helicopter, or on a fixed-wing platform where the airframe rolls continuously.

  • ≤ 100 μrad accuracy
  • ≥ 60°/s angular velocity
  • Roll ± 45°
  • Quick-release option
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A 3-axis gimbal camera adds roll isolation to pitch and yaw. On a fixed-wing aircraft or a helicopter, that third axis is what keeps a 30x lens on target while the airframe banks and rides out gusts.

If you are specifying a 3 axis drone gimbal camera for a rolling platform, start from the identification range rather than the price. Every 3 axis gimbal camera for drone use in this group shares the same servo performance, so a drone 3 axis gimbal camera at the 400 g end behaves exactly like the 1.5 kg units. A 3 axis gimbal with camera built for airborne work also differs from a camera gimbal 3 axis unit designed for ground or handheld use: these heads are rated for rotor wash, vibration and a −20 °C to +60 °C envelope.

Core capabilities

  • Three-axis stabilisation

    ≤ 100 μrad stabilisation accuracy with ≥ 60°/s angular velocity isolates the line of sight from airframe motion.

  • Direct-drive brushless axes

    High-resolution encoding on every axis means no gear backlash or step noise in the video.

  • Continuous optical zoom

    10x to 40x continuous zoom optics with autofocus and electronic image stabilisation at sub-pixel level.

  • Onboard AI detection

    Person, vehicle, vessel and aircraft recognition runs locally, with no dependency on a data link.

  • Uncooled thermal imaging

    640 × 512 (up to 1280 × 1024) long-wave infrared with NETD ≤ 40 mK, boresighted to the visible channel.

  • Laser rangefinding

    1535 nm or 905 nm rangefinders from 5 m to 3 km turn video into georeferenced target coordinates.

White HITS gimbal camera pod on a display stand showing the front sensor windows
A three-axis pod in the white housing, showing the front sensor windows.
Close detail of the multi-sensor turret on a HITS camera payload showing the daylight, thermal and laser apertures
Turret detail: yaw, pitch and roll all sit between the optics and the airframe on a three-axis head.

12 three-axis models

All three-axis heads share the same servo performance and control interface, so a single integration carries across the group.

3-axis gimbal camera with EO/IR sensor and laser rangefinder

3-axis · EO + IR + LRF

HQ-95Q customized UAV Camera Gimbal

Four optical channels and a quick-release mount on the lightest three-axis head we build.

Full specifications →

Visible
Dual 8000 × 6000, 9.5 mm + continuous zoom 15.3 – 49.7 mm
Thermal
640 × 512, 19 mm fixed
Laser
5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)
Weight
≤400 g
HQ-100D 3-axis EO/IR UAV gimbal camera

3-axis · EO + IR

HQ-100D Gimbal Camera OEM

The entry point to full roll-stabilised zoom and thermal imaging under a kilogram.

Full specifications →

Visible
1920 × 1080, 10x zoom 4.7 – 47 mm
Thermal
640 × 512, 19 mm fixed
Laser
—
Weight
≤800 g
HQ-135T 3-axis EO/IR UAV gimbal camera with 3 km LRF

3-axis · EO + IR + LRF

HQ-135T UAV Gimbal Camera OEM

The flagship of the compact range: 40x zoom, thermal imaging and 3 km ranging on one stabilised cage.

Full specifications →

Visible
1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm
Thermal
640 × 512, 35 mm fixed
Laser
15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)
Weight
≤1.4 kg

Compare the range

ModelAxesConfigurationVisible cameraThermal imagerLaser rangefinderWeight
HQ-95Q3-axisEO + IR + LRFDual 8000 × 6000, 9.5 mm + continuous zoom 15.3 – 49.7 mm640 × 512, 19 mm fixed5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)≤400 g
HQ-100D3-axisEO + IR1920 × 1080, 10x zoom 4.7 – 47 mm640 × 512, 19 mm fixed—≤800 g
HQ-100T3-axisEO + IR + LRF1920 × 1080, 10x zoom 4.7 – 47 mm640 × 512, 19 mm fixed5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)≤800 g
HQ-115S3-axisEO1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm——≤1 kg
HQ-115D3-axisEO + IR1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm640 × 512, 25 mm fixed—≤1 kg
HQ-115T3-axisEO + IR + LRF1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm640 × 512, 25 mm fixed5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)≤1 kg
HQ-125S3-axisIR—1280 × 1024, 50 mm fixed—≤1 kg
HQ-125DB3-axisEO + IR1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm640 × 512, 35 mm fixed—≤1.1 kg
HQ-125TB3-axisEO + IR + LRF1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm640 × 512, 35 mm fixed15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)≤1.2 kg
HQ-135D3-axisEO + IR1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm640 × 512, 35 mm fixed—≤1.4 kg
HQ-135T3-axisEO + IR + LRF1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm640 × 512, 35 mm fixed15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)≤1.4 kg
HQ-135TA3-axisEO + IR + LRF1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm640 × 512, 50 mm fixed15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)≤1.5 kg

Engineering detail

What the third axis buys you

Roll isolation keeps the horizon level and the aim point fixed while the airframe banks. Without it, a 30x or 40x optic sweeps off target every time the platform turns or rides out a gust.

Rated for the platform

All three-axis heads share the same servo performance — ≥ 60°/s angular velocity, ± 45° roll range and a pitch envelope from −120° to +40° — so one integration carries across the series.

Designed and manufactured by HITS

Optics, servo hardware, stabilisation firmware and the AI tracking module are developed in house, and every unit is assembled, calibrated and environmentally tested on our own line before it ships.

HITS engineer testing a stabilised gimbal camera payload on the test bench before dispatch
Production line assembling stabilised gimbal camera payloads at the HITS factory
Engineer assembling the internal components of a HITS stabilised gimbal camera payload
Environmental and calibration test bench for UAV gimbal camera payloads at the HITS factory

Two axes or three? And how far do you need to see?

This page is the three-axis half of the decision. Three guides cover the rest: which axes each design holds and where a two-axis head is still the right answer, how to mount, power, control and test the payload, and how to compare optical zoom, field of view and laser rangefinding on a long-range head.

  • 2-axis vs 3-axis: which stabilisation you needWhat each design actually holds, why three axes is not automatically heavier, how to compare a stabilisation claim, and how to match the head to the airframe.Read the stabilisation guide →
  • UAV gimbal camera integrationMounting, power, serial and Ethernet interfaces, MAVLink control, the video path to the ground station, SDKs, and a bench-to-flight test sequence.Read the integration guide →
  • Long-range gimbal cameras: zoom, FOV and LRFWhy a 40x ratio is not a reach, how focal length against sensor size decides what you resolve at distance, and why a 3 km rangefinder is not a 3 km camera.Read the long-range guide →
  • Buying one? Start with the checklistTen steps from mission brief to purchase order, with an RFQ template and a supplier scorecard you can reuse.Read the procurement checklist →

Request information or a quotation

Send the platform and the required identification range and we will size the head for you. Contact us with your requirements.

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