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

HQ-135T three-axis gimbal camera with 3 km LRF

The flagship of the compact range: 40x zoom, thermal imaging and 3 km ranging on one stabilised cage. The complete payload weighs 1.4 kg and measures Φ135 × 194 mm, so it fits long-endurance fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and heavy multirotors.

Weight 1.4 kg
Three-axis stabilised
EO 1920 × 1080
Thermal 640 × 512
LRF 15 m – 3 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-135T is

The HQ-135T is the daylight-leaning head of the pair. A 40x zoom covering 4.25 to 170 mm returns 6.5 km on a person and 17 km on a vehicle, the longer of the pair on the visible channel. The core behind it is a 35 mm group returning 1 km and 4.6 km. It is the lighter of the two at 1.4 kg in Φ135 × 194 mm, yet it draws more, 20 W / 50 W, because a long zoom group and the motor that drives it cost power rather than mass. The laser spans 15 m to 3 km.

One long optic, one modest core, one laser

The daylight channel leads, because it is the reason this head exists rather than its sister.

EO / visible

1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm

The reason to pick this head. 6.5 km on a person, 17 km on a vehicle.

Thermal / IR

640 × 512, 35 mm fixed

Uncooled, NETD ≤ 40 mK. 1 km on a person, 4.6 km on a vehicle.

Laser rangefinder

15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)

1535 nm, eye-safe, feeding the coordinate solution.

170 mm at the long end buys identification, not just detection

Forty times across 4.25 to 170 mm closes without a lens change, and the long end is where a person stops being a mark on the ground and becomes someone whose clothing can be described. The zoom travels continuously, so the frame is chosen rather than switched.

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.

The 35 mm core is the honest limit

No core in this weight class reaches as far as a 170 mm daylight optic. At 35 mm the night path returns 1 km on a person and 4.6 km on a vehicle, which covers a compound or a stretch of shoreline from working altitude. Set the night requirement against those two numbers before picking this head over its thermal-leaning sister.

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.

Ranging that matches the daylight reach

A 17 km picture is only useful if the position inside it can be fixed, and the laser measures 15 m to 3 km at ± 1 m, eye-safe at 1535 nm. Past that the coordinate comes from the aircraft’s own position rather than a return, which is a planning decision, not a fault.

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

A laser sized for the optic beside it

Daylight first, thermal second, laser to close the loop. A crew that needs the reverse order should read the thermal-leaning head instead, trading the 170 mm optic for a 50 mm core.

Stabilisation and mechanical design

Three axes under a travelling zoom

A zoom group shifting mass along the optical axis is the hardest thing to stabilise on a small turret: the inertia changes as the barrel extends. Each axis has its own brushless motor on the frame, encoder feedback closing the loop with no gear stage, holding ≤ 100 μrad (1σ) with ≥ 60°/s available.

1.4 kg and a 20 W / 50 W draw

The head is 1.4 kg inside Φ135 × 194 mm on 11–28 VDC, drawing 20 W cruising and 50 W at peak. That peak belongs to the zoom drive, and the harness must carry it rather than the average.

Detection and tracking at the edge

Boxes drawn on the aircraft

The detector sits on the payload and sorts people, vehicles, vessels and aircraft with no ground processor in the loop. A long zoom magnifies airframe motion, so deciding before the frame is compressed keeps a shaky pass readable.

Lock through the zoom

Twenty targets can be held with one under active lock, and the tracker carries that lock while the optic travels, which a fixed-lens head never has to answer. Occlusion handling brings a target back after a building hides it, and the recorder writes the whole pass inside the head, so a clip exists whether or not anyone at the station watched it arrive.

Fitting the head to an airframe

The mass is modest, the peak draw is not: plan the harness for 50 W.

Mount and envelope

Φ135 × 194 mm at 1.4 kg fits a long-endurance fixed-wing aircraft, a helicopter or a heavy multirotor without a bespoke bracket. The face lands on an isolated base, with plates where the bolt circle is not ours.

Bus, video and environment

Input spans 11 to 28 VDC. Autopilots address the gimbal over RS-422, RS-232 or TTL, and SBUS or MAVLink is accepted at the aircraft end. Video leaves on Ethernet in H.264 or H.265 at 100 Mbps into 128 GB of internal storage. The sealed housing runs −20 °C to +60 °C and stores −40 °C to +70 °C; the technology pages describe that layer once for the range.

On the aircraft

A single harness for power, control and video. Isolation sits in the mount, and the three axes handle what gets through it.

Before the first flight

The harness that will fly is the harness that gets benched: protocol, video path and limits verified on a supply first. At 1.4 kg one person handles the head during that check.

What the zoom asks of the mount

A barrel travelling to 170 mm shifts mass fore and aft. Isolation in the base keeps the zoom drive from exciting a panel resonance, where any shake is magnified with the picture.

Five documents ship with the first unit: control protocol, a video pipeline note, the outline with pinout, the calibration record and the test report. Export review covers the documents too.

Where the HQ-135T is used

Three tasks built around a long daylight optic on a light head.

Route and corridor survey in daylight
A pipeline, rail corridor or road is a long thin object, and a survey wants one pass to cover it. The 4.25 mm end keeps the corridor in frame while 170 mm closes on a fitting or a vehicle on the verge, and 17 km of vehicle detection lets the aircraft hold standoff without crossing the asset.
UAV inspection →
Daylight identification from a helicopter
A rotorcraft observer is asked what something is, not whether something is there. Forty times zoom does that at a distance the aircraft need not close, and three axes hold a narrow frame against rotor vibration. Twenty watts in cruise is a small share of a helicopter’s electrical budget.
Helicopter cameras →
Border and coastal watch through the day
A coastline by day is small objects at long range, and the visible channel reaches 6.5 km on a person. Thermal at 4.6 km on a vehicle covers dusk, when the optic loses contrast, and the laser places a find at ± 1 m for a response team.
UAV surveillance →

Full specifications

Model	HQ-135T
Series	Gimbal Camera Series (HQ series)
Stabilisation	Three-axis gyro-stabilised, ≤ 100 μrad
Sensor configuration	EO + IR + LRF
Visible channel	1920 × 1080, 40x zoom 4.25 – 170 mm
Thermal channel	640 × 512, 35 mm fixed
Laser rangefinder	15 m – 3 km (± 1 m)
Weight	≤1.4 kg
Dimensions	≤Φ135 × 194 mm
Power consumption	20 W / 50 W
Detection (EO)	6.5 km person / 17 km vehicle
Detection (IR)	1 km person / 4.6 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 (original equipment manufacturer) airframes

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

Outline drawing of the HQ-135T payload with mounting and interface dimensions

Questions engineers ask about the HQ-135T

What is the detection range of the HQ-135T?

Daylight reaches 6.5 km on a person and 17 km on a vehicle; thermal reaches 1 km and 4.6 km. Both assume 1.7 m and 2.3 m targets. Recognition and identification sit closer than detection, and the datasheet lists them.

What are the order terms and the delivery time?

Stock configurations start at one unit, custom ones at 100. A head already in inventory is dispatched as it stands, so the calendar is transport rather than production; a bespoke or volume run gets its date from the quotation. Payment by T/T, warranty twelve months from delivery.

The head weighs less than its sister but draws nearly twice the power. Why?

Power follows the zoom. A 40x group travelling 4.25 to 170 mm needs a drive motor holding position across the whole range, and that motor gives 20 W cruise and 50 W peak where the other head draws 15 W and 30 W.

Can the thermal channel identify at the same range as the daylight channel?

No. The core sits behind 35 mm and returns 1 km on a person, where the daylight optic reaches 6.5 km. Night work beyond that figure needs a longer thermal barrel, which is the trade the thermal-leaning head in the same weight bracket makes.

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-135T

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

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