Solutions · Rotary wing

Camera on Helicopter: Stabilised Imaging for Rotary Wing

Stabilised imaging for patrol, utility and hoist operations

A helicopter gives a payload hours of endurance, a 28 VDC bus and space for a turret that a multirotor could never lift.

28 VDC
Vibration tolerant
30x – 55x zoom
Thermal imaging

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A helicopter camera is chosen on three practical grounds: what the aircraft can carry, what the mission needs to see, and what the airframe does to the line of sight. The pod class range from 2.5 kg to 22 kg covers from a light patrol machine to a large utility helicopter, and all of it runs on the helicopter 28 VDC bus with the same control and video interfaces used across the range.

A camera in helicopter operations is usually part of a crewed task rather than a solo one, which changes the requirement. The payload feeds an operator in the cabin, the imagery is often recorded for later, and a camera on helicopter patrol or utility work frequently has to hold a point on the ground while the aircraft orbits, hovers or manoeuvres at low speed over a confined area.

What rotary wing changes

Vibration and rotor harmonics
Rotor vibration arrives at frequencies and amplitudes a multirotor does not produce. Direct-drive axes with high-resolution encoding hold the line of sight without the backlash a geared mount would introduce.
28 VDC and aircraft power
Every model in the range runs on 11 – 28 VDC, which matches the helicopter bus without an additional converter.
Two-axis turrets that carry weight
The XQ and SQ series run from 1.6 kg to 22 kg with continuous thermal zoom and rangefinders from 5 km to 15 km.
Cabin and crew interfaces
Ethernet video with RS-422, RS-232, TTL, SBUS and MAVLink control, plus onboard recording for the sortie record.
Holding a point while hovering
Low-speed hovering over a confined area is the hardest regime for a stabilised mount, because the airframe is moving slowly in several axes at once.
Hoist and lift operations
A camera on a hoist or lift task has to watch the load and the ground simultaneously, which is a framing problem rather than a reach problem.

Close detail of the multi-sensor turret on a HITS camera payload showing the daylight, thermal and laser apertures — A pod-class turret up close: the mass and the aperture set are the same whether it hangs under a rotor or a wing.

HITS gimbal camera pod on a display stand showing the sensor layout of the pod series — The stabilised head itself carries the sensors, so nothing in the payload changes when the platform does.

Rotary wing payloads by role

From a light patrol machine to a large utility helicopter.

Role	Suggested model	Visible	Thermal	Ranging	Weight
Light patrol	XQ-125T	1920 x 1080, 30x zoom	640 x 512, 35 mm	3 km	≤ 1.6 kg
General patrol and response	XQ-155T	1920 x 1080, 30x zoom	640 x 512, 55 mm	5 km	≤ 2.2 kg
Patrol with high-resolution imaging	XQ-180T	3840 x 2160, 17.5x zoom	1280 x 1024, 75 mm	6 km	≤ 4.1 kg
Long-endurance ISR	XQ-254T	1920 x 1080, 30x zoom	640 x 512, 40 – 220 mm	15 km	≤ 10 kg
Targeting and designation	SQ-290T	1920 x 1080, 13x zoom	640 x 512, 15 – 300 mm	10 km	≤ 15 kg
Heavy utility and long range	SQ-330Q	1920 x 1080, 30x zoom	Dual 640 x 512, 300 mm + 15 – 330 mm	≥ 15 km	≤ 22 kg

Four helicopter payloads

Two-axis turrets from 1.6 kg to 10 kg, all on 28 VDC with continuous thermal zoom on the larger units.

Helicopter camera - stabilised imaging payload

XQ · 2-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-125T

The smallest pod in the XQ range: 30x zoom, a 35 mm thermal channel and 3 km ranging at 1.6 kg.

Visible: 1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal: 640 × 512, 35 mm fixed
Laser: 30 m – 3 km (± 1 m)
Weight: ≤1.6 kg

XQ · 2-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-155T

A 55 mm thermal lens and 5 km ranging for platforms that can carry 2.2 kg on the hardpoint.

Visible: 1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal: 640 × 512, 55 mm fixed
Laser: 50 m – 5 km (± 1 m)
Weight: ≤2.2 kg

XQ · 2-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-180T

4K daylight imaging at 3840 × 2160 with 17.5x zoom and 6 km ranging.

Visible: 3840 × 2160, 17.5x zoom 6.8 – 120 mm
Thermal: 1280 × 1024, 75 mm fixed
Laser: 50 m – 6 km (± 1 m)
Weight: ≤4.1 kg

XQ · 2-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-254T

The long-range pod: 15 km ranging and a 254 mm turret for maritime and border patrol aircraft.

Visible: 1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal: 640 × 512, continuous zoom 40 – 220 mm
Laser: 100 m – 15 km (± 1 m)
Weight: ≤10 kg

Compare the range

Model	Series	Axes	Configuration	Visible camera	Thermal imager	Laser rangefinder	Weight
XQ-125T	XQ series	2-axis	EO + IR + LRF	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm	640 × 512, 35 mm fixed	30 m – 3 km (± 1 m)	≤1.6 kg
XQ-155T	XQ series	2-axis	EO + IR + LRF	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm	640 × 512, 55 mm fixed	50 m – 5 km (± 1 m)	≤2.2 kg
XQ-180T	XQ series	2-axis	EO + IR + LRF	3840 × 2160, 17.5x zoom 6.8 – 120 mm	1280 × 1024, 75 mm fixed	50 m – 6 km (± 1 m)	≤4.1 kg
XQ-254T	XQ series	2-axis	EO + IR + LRF	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm	640 × 512, continuous zoom 40 – 220 mm	100 m – 15 km (± 1 m)	≤10 kg

Camera on helicopter: hoist, lift and patrol

Hoist and lift work is a framing problem

During a hoist or lift the crew needs the load, the ground crew and the surrounding structure in one picture. A helicopter hoist camera is chosen for wide field and a stable horizon rather than for reach, and a helicopter lift camera is judged on the same terms. That calls for a wide field and a stable horizon rather than long reach, and it is one of the few roles where a 13x zoom with a wide thermal channel suits better than a 55x lens.

Patrol is a reach problem

30x or better on the visible channel, with a boresighted thermal channel for the night half of the shift.
A rangefinder that geolocates what the crew is looking at, for reporting rather than for imagery.
Onboard recording, because a patrol flight that produces no record has produced no evidence.
Tracking, so the crew can watch an object while the pilot flies the aircraft.

Sharing the picture

Helicopter missions usually involve more than the crew: command posts, ground teams and sometimes a second aircraft. Ethernet video and an open control protocol make that sharing straightforward rather than bespoke.

Rotary wing payloads come from the pod and designation classes.

Drone helicopter camerasThe same architecture on unmanned rotary aircraft.Read more →
EO/IR pod systemsEight turrets from 1.6 kg to 10 kg.Read more →
Laser designator pods1064 nm designation for targeting roles.Read more →
Long range imagingWhat decides identification range.Read more →

Engineering detail

Why helicopters use the pod class

A helicopter can lift a turret that a UAV cannot, and the larger apertures and longer baselines in the pod class are what deliver 55x zoom, 1280 x 1024 thermal imaging and 15 km ranging. The same turrets also appear on large fixed-wing aircraft and, at the light end, on unmanned rotary platforms.

Keeping the horizon steady

In a helicopter, slow translation over a confined area stresses the mount differently from a UAV in forward flight. Two-axis turrets with direct-drive axes and accurate encoding hold the horizon through hover, and the difference shows up immediately in the cabin display.

One interface across the range

Because the control protocol and video pipeline do not change between a 1.6 kg turret and a 22 kg turret, a fleet can carry different payloads on different aircraft and the crew interface stays the same.

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.