HQ series · Three-axis · EO + IR + LRF

HQ-115T three-axis gimbal camera with 1.5 km LRF

The one-kilogram workhorse: 30x zoom, thermal imaging and a 1.5 km rangefinder. 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
LRF 5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)
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-115T is

The HQ-115T is a one-kilogram head that carries three channels at once: a 30x daylight optic, a 640 × 512 thermal core on a fixed 25 mm lens, and a 1535 nm rangefinder rated to 1.5 km. The set fits in Φ115 × 172 mm, which is a size small multirotors and fixed-wing aircraft can lift on a standard mount. The compromise is deliberate and sits on the thermal side: that lens does not zoom, so after dark the head detects a person at 0.7 km but does not identify one from there. Identification at range is the visible channel’s job.

Channels, and the trade inside each one

One kilogram, three channels, a different job for each.

EO / visible

1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm

6 km on a person, 15 km on a vehicle.

Thermal / IR

640 × 512, 25 mm fixed

0.7 km on a person, 3.1 km on a vehicle.

Laser rangefinder

5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)

Eye-safe 1535 nm, output goes to the coordinate solution.

What 30x buys, and what it does not

4.3 – 129 mm puts a search field and an identification field inside one optic — the argument for continuous zoom over a dual-FOV lens, since no target is lost in the switch. Detection is 6 km on a person and 15 km on a vehicle, but 30x will not resolve a person at the far edge of that figure: where identification is the requirement, zoom range matters more.

Daylight EO imagery from a HITS camera payload with vehicles detected and boxed automatically — Visible channel: vehicles boxed by the onboard detector.

Why the thermal lens is bolted at 25 mm

640 × 512, NETD ≤ 40 mK, 0.7 km person and 3.1 km vehicle, boresighted to the visible channel. The fixed focal length is a mass decision, not an optical one: a zooming thermal of that aperture would take volume and grams already spent on the third axis and the laser. IR finds warm bodies close in after dark; daylight does the identifying.

Thermal imagery from a HITS camera payload with a target held by the onboard tracker — Thermal channel at 640 × 512, tracker holding a moving target.

The rangefinder as a coordinate source

5 m – 1.5 km at ± 1 m, eye-safe at 1535 nm. That suits a span, a mast base or a vehicle a few hundred metres out, not a standoff target. The point is not the number on screen: readings feed the coordinate calculation, so the ground station holds a position rather than a range bar.

HITS ground station showing UAV payload video with target coordinates — Ground station: video, live coordinates and sensor status.

Read as a set, the three channels divide the work by time of day rather than by range: daylight identification on the visible channel, night detection on the fixed thermal, and a measured position from whichever is looking.

Stabilisation and mechanical design

Three axes, all direct drive

Yaw, pitch and roll each run on a direct-drive brushless motor with high-resolution encoding. No gear stage sits between motor and line of sight, which is where the absence of backlash jitter in the video comes from. The loop reacts at ≥ 60°/s and holds the line of sight to ≤ 100 μrad (1σ).

1 kg, Φ115 × 172 mm

The complete head weighs 1 kg in a Φ115 × 172 mm envelope, taking 11–28 VDC and drawing 15 W / 50 W. Fitting a third axis and a laser inside that mass is what lets a small multirotor carry a stabilised EO, IR and LRF set without a dedicated mount.

Detection and tracking at the edge

The module lives in the turret

Person, vehicle, vessel and aircraft detection run on the payload, and up to 20 targets can be locked at once. No frames leave the aircraft for processing, so the boxes stay on screen while the link is degraded.

Occlusion, and what happens after it

The tracker holds a selected target through rotation and scale change and re-acquires it after it passes behind terrain, a mast or another object. Recording is on board as well, so the clip survives a downlink that drops mid-pass.

Airframe integration

What this head asks of the airframe, and what arrives with it.

Mount and mass

A quick-release interface on a vibration-isolated base, with adapter plates where an airframe uses a different bolt pattern. At 1 kg and Φ115 × 172 mm the head suits small multirotors, fixed-wing aircraft and light helicopters, and because both figures are catalogue limits the aircraft-side load case can be closed before a prototype exists.

The electrical layer is the family’s

Nothing here needs custom wiring — 11–28 VDC in, RS-422 / RS-232 / TTL control with SBUS and MAVLink at the aircraft end, Ethernet video at 100 Mbps in H.264 or H.265, up to 128 GB on board, −20 °C to +60 °C operating and −40 °C to +70 °C in storage, sealed against dust, wind and rotor wash — and the technology pages document that shared architecture.

On the aircraft

One kilogram on a multirotor: a single cable run carries power, control and Ethernet video.

The first unit travels with the control protocol document, the video pipeline description, a three-view outline with connector pinout and the calibration and test report. Documents carry the same export assessment as the hardware.

Full specifications

Model	HQ-115T
Series	Gimbal Camera Series (HQ series)
Stabilisation	Three-axis gyro-stabilised, ≤ 100 μrad
Sensor configuration	EO + IR + LRF
Visible channel	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal channel	640 × 512, 25 mm fixed
Laser rangefinder	5 m – 1.5 km (± 1 m)
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.

Where the HQ-115T is used

Three profiles where 1 kg, three axes and this sensor mix earn their place.

Conductor and fitting inspection
A span and its hardware have to be read in one pass. The 30x visible channel resolves a fitting while the thermal channel shows the same joint running warmer than the conductor beside it, and the rangefinder puts a distance on the span without a second flight. At 1 kg the head goes on a multirotor small enough to work between phases.
UAV inspection →
Perimeter work after dark
A perimeter is a detection problem before it is an identification problem. The 640 × 512 core finds a person at 0.7 km through dust and gaps in foliage, and the tracker holds them while the aircraft is brought in rather than letting the contact go. The daylight channel takes the identification once there is range or light to work with, which is why the two channels sit on one head instead of two aircraft.
UAV security →
Search lines at night
A night search needs a sensor that does not depend on light and a head light enough to keep the aircraft on task for the whole line. Thermal detection at 0.7 km, a tracker that holds the find while the crew reports it, and a rangefinder that turns the contact into a distance the ground team can act on instead of a bearing and a guess.
UAV surveillance →

Questions engineers ask about the HQ-115T

What detection range does the HQ-115T give on a person or a vehicle?

6 km on a person and 15 km on a vehicle through the visible channel; 0.7 km and 3.1 km through the thermal channel, measured against the standard 1.7 m person and 2.3 m vehicle targets. Recognition and identification ranges are shorter than these detection figures.

How is an order placed, and how long does delivery take?

A stock configuration starts at one unit and a custom configuration at 100 units. Stock heads ship from inventory, so the wait is transit rather than a build slot; the delivery date for larger or custom batches is confirmed alongside the quotation. Payment is by T/T, and the warranty runs one year from delivery.

Why is the thermal lens fixed instead of zooming?

Because 1 kg is already carrying three axes and a laser. A 640 × 512 core behind a 25 mm lens gives 0.7 km person detection for a fraction of the mass a zooming thermal would need, and it stays boresighted to the visible channel. The cost is that the thermal field of view cannot be narrowed in flight, so identification after dark falls to the daylight channel.

What does a rangefinder add when it only reaches 1.5 km?

A measured position rather than a guess: 5 m – 1.5 km at ± 1 m, eye-safe at 1535 nm, feeding the coordinate calculation. For inspection that is the distance to a span or a fitting; for surveillance it is a georeferenced point the operator can pass to somebody else.

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-115T

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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