HQ series · Three-axis · EO + IR

HQ-115D three-axis gimbal camera

30x zoom and thermal imaging on a one-kilogram head with no ranging requirement. Because it uses the same stabilisation stack and control protocol as the rest of the HQ series, it can share a mount and a cable run with other heads in the range.

Weight 1 kg
Three-axis stabilised
EO 1920 × 1080
Thermal 640 × 512
AI detection & tracking

CE / RoHS documentation available on request
Export compliance statement available on request
Calibration and test report supplied with every unit

What the HQ-115D is

The HQ-115D is the configuration we recommend when the mission needs EO (electro-optical) plus IR at 1 kg. 30x zoom and thermal imaging on a one-kilogram head with no ranging requirement. Optics, servo hardware, stabilisation firmware and the AI (artificial intelligence) module are developed in house, so the optical set, the laser module or the mounting interface can be adapted for an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) programme. On the aircraft side, the integration guide covers protocol, video and mounting.

Core capabilities

The features that decide whether imagery is usable in the air, in the order an integrator usually checks them.

Gyro-stabilised line of sight
Direct-drive brushless axes with high-resolution encoding hold the line of sight to ≤ 100 μrad (1σ), and the stabilisation loop reacts at ≥ 60°/s angular velocity so imagery stays steady in turbulence and rotor wash.
Continuous optical zoom
The visible channel is 1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm. Continuous zoom keeps a wide search field and a tight identification field available without changing lenses, with autofocus and electronic image stabilisation at sub-pixel level.
Uncooled thermal channel
640 × 512, 25 mm fixed, long-wave infrared with NETD (noise-equivalent temperature difference) ≤ 40 mK, boresighted to the visible channel so both sensors point at the same target with no re-alignment in flight.
Onboard AI detection
Person, vehicle, vessel and aircraft detection runs on the payload itself, with no dependency on the data link and no frames sent to a ground station for processing.
Multi-target tracking
Lock and follow up to 20 targets at once, with anti-occlusion logic that re-acquires a target after it passes behind terrain, a mast or another object.
Open integration
Ethernet video in H.264 or H.265, RS-422 / RS-232 / TTL (transistor-transistor logic) control, SBUS and MAVLink (Micro Air Vehicle Link) on the aircraft side, plus on-board recording so imagery survives a broken link.

Stabilisation and mechanical design

Three axes, direct drive

Yaw, pitch and roll are each driven directly by brushless motors with high-resolution encoding, so there is no gear backlash or step noise in the video. The loop is specified at ≥ 60°/s angular velocity and holds the line of sight to ≤ 100 μrad (1σ).

1 kg in Φ115 × 172 mm

The complete head weighs 1 kg and measures Φ115 × 172 mm, with 11–28 VDC input and power consumption of 15 W / 50 W. That envelope lets multirotors, fixed-wing aircraft and small helicopters carry the payload without a bespoke mount.

HQ-115D gimbal camera payload integrated on a fixed-wing UAV with ground control station

On the aircraft

Mounting, cable routing and vibration isolation are agreed with the platform integrator, so the payload drops into an existing airframe interface instead of needing a bespoke mount.

Multi-sensor payload

Configured as EO plus IR. Each channel is boresighted to the others, so one target sits in the same place on every screen.

EO / visible

1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm

Detection 6 km person / 15 km vehicle.

Thermal / IR

640 × 512, 25 mm fixed

Detection 0.7 km person / 3.1 km vehicle.

Channel detail

A sensor specification on its own rarely answers the operational question, so each channel is described here with the distance it actually supports.

EO / visible

The visible channel is specified at 1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm. Detection distances for the visible channel are quoted at 6 km person / 15 km vehicle using the standard 1.7 m person and 2.3 m vehicle targets; recognition and identification distances are shorter and appear in the datasheet.

Daylight EO imagery from a HITS camera payload with vehicles detected and boxed automatically — EO / visible channel: vehicles detected and boxed automatically in the live feed.

Thermal / IR

The thermal channel is 640 × 512, 25 mm fixed, uncooled long-wave infrared with NETD ≤ 40 mK. Thermal detection is quoted at 0.7 km person / 3.1 km vehicle. Performance does not depend on daylight, which is what makes the channel useful for night operations and for scenes obscured by smoke or dust.

Thermal imagery from a HITS camera payload with a target held by the onboard tracker — Thermal channel: white-hot imagery with the tracker holding a moving target.

Detection and tracking at the edge

Onboard AI module

Person and vehicle detection, target lock and autonomous tracking share one module with common software across the family. Ground crews select a target on the operator screen and the payload holds it, which removes the workload of manual tracking on a long orbit.

What that means in the air

The operator sees a boxed target and a lock that survives occlusion rather than a raw feed. Because the module is common across the family, tracking behaviour does not change when the payload changes.

Tracking demonstration

Targets are boxed automatically as they appear, and the lock is held on the selected target even when it passes behind an obstruction.

Integration

One control protocol across the family

Every head in the range speaks the same control set, so moving from a two-axis to a three-axis payload, or adding a laser rangefinder, does not change the aircraft-side integration. The protocol document and video pipeline notes are supplied with the first unit.

Video, control and power

Video is carried as Ethernet in H.264 or H.265. The gimbal is controlled over RS-422, RS-232 or TTL with SBUS and MAVLink supported on the aircraft side, and power input is 11–28 VDC. Recording is handled on board, so the file exists even if the link drops.

Interface protocol document, video pipeline description and outline drawing are supplied with the first unit — ask the engineering team if you need them earlier for evaluation. Technical documents are released under the same export assessment as the hardware.

Full specifications

Model	HQ-115D
Series	Gimbal Camera Series (HQ series)
Stabilisation	Three-axis gyro-stabilised, ≤ 100 μrad
Sensor configuration	EO + IR
Visible channel	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal channel	640 × 512, 25 mm fixed
Weight	≤1 kg
Dimensions	≤Φ115 × 172 mm
Power consumption	15 W / 50 W
Detection (EO)	6 km person / 15 km vehicle
Detection (IR)	0.7 km person / 3.1 km vehicle

Detection distances follow the standard 1.7 m person / 2.3 m vehicle convention. Rows marked as shared are common across the HQ series.

Control software: Windows as standard. An Android version can be customised for OEM/ODM projects.

Shared across the HQ series

Video output: Ethernet, H.264 / H.265
Gimbal control: RS-422 / RS-232 / TTL, SBUS, MAVLink
Input voltage: 11–28 VDC
Operating temperature: −20 °C to +60 °C
Sealing: Sealed housing for dust, wind and rotor wash
Recording: On-board recording, imagery retained if the link drops
AI module: Onboard detection, classification and multi-target tracking
Mounting: Quick-release interface, adapters available for OEM airframes

Three-view outline drawing with connector pinout, available on request.

Outline and interface drawingThree-view outline with dimensions and the connector pinout for this head. The drawing set is released with the datasheet — ask for it with your quotation and we will send the PDF for your airframe review.

Mounting, interfaces and environment

Airframe integration is the part of a payload programme that is easiest to get wrong, so these are the numbers engineers ask for first. Everything below applies to the HQ-115D.

Mechanical interface

The head mounts on a quick-release interface with a vibration-isolated gimbal base, and adapter plates are available for OEM airframes that do not share our bolt pattern. Mass and envelope are the catalogue limits for this head, so the aircraft-side budget can be checked before a prototype is built.

Electrical and data interface

Power, control and video are separated so the head can be flown from most autopilots: 11–28 VDC input, serial control on RS-422 / RS-232 / TTL, and video over Ethernet. On-board recording keeps the imagery even if the downlink drops.

Payload mass	≤1 kg
Envelope	≤Φ115 × 172 mm
Power consumption	15 W / 50 W
Input voltage	11–28 VDC
Data interfaces	Serial (RS-422 / RS-232 / TTL), Ethernet, SBUS
Video output	Ethernet, 100 Mbps, H.264 / H.265
On-board storage	Up to 128 GB
Operating temperature	−20 °C to +60 °C
Storage temperature	−40 °C to +70 °C
Mounting	Quick-release interface, adapter plates for OEM airframes
Sealing	Sealed housing for dust, wind and rotor wash

Input voltage, data interfaces, video output, temperature limits and on-board storage are common across the range. The released three-view drawing with the connector pinout is supplied with the datasheet — ask the engineering team if you need it for an airframe review before quotation.

Where the HQ-115D is used

Three mission profiles that match this weight class and sensor set.

Power line and asset inspection
Visible and thermal channels on one stabilised axis let a crew read a conductor and its joint in a single pass, with the zoom range covering both the span and the fitting.
UAV inspection →
Security and perimeter patrol
A light head preserves endurance on a small multirotor while making people and vehicles visible at night or through light foliage.
UAV security →
Tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance)
Detection at the edge of the patrol area, with tracking that holds a target while the operator reports it.
Military UAV →

Questions engineers ask about the HQ-115D

How is the HQ-115D integrated with the flight controller?

Video is Ethernet in H.264 or H.265, gimbal control runs over RS-422, RS-232 or TTL, and SBUS and MAVLink are supported on the aircraft side, with 11–28 VDC power input. The control protocol document is supplied with the first unit.

What is the lead time for a HQ-115D?

An evaluation unit is usually supplied first so the integration can be tested on the bench and in flight, with production batches scheduled afterwards. Heads held in stock ship from a single unit, so the lead time is transit rather than a production slot; custom configurations are scheduled once the optical work is fixed, and the quotation confirms which models are held in stock.

Which figures are shared across the HQ series?

Control protocol, video format, recording, input voltage, temperature range and sealing are common across the family, so one aircraft-side integration covers a two-axis head and a larger turret alike. Confirm the exact figures against the datasheet.

What does the HQ-115D weigh and which platforms does it suit?

The HQ-115D weighs 1 kg and measures Φ115 × 172 mm, which places it with multirotors, fixed-wing aircraft and small helicopters.

What are the order terms for the HQ-115D?

One unit for a stock configuration, custom builds from 100 units. A head held in stock ships from inventory, so the lead time is transit rather than a production slot; payment is by T/T with the schedule on the quotation, and the warranty is one year from delivery with support from our own engineers online.

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

Gimbal payloads on the calibration and environmental test rack at the HITS factory

Next steps for this payload: how it is inspected and tested · export licensing and documentation · ordering and integration FAQ

Request a quotation for the HQ-115D

Tell us the platform, the range you need to identify and how many units you are planning. Every configuration is quoted individually, so you get a written price against your own requirement rather than a list figure that does not fit it. We answer within one working day.

MOQFrom 1 unit

Small ordersUsually held in stock, shipped straight away

Volume ordersDelivery schedule confirmed with your quotation

Reply timeWithin one working day

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