XQ series · Two-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-155T two-axis EO/IR pod with 5 km LRF

A 55 mm thermal lens and 5 km ranging for platforms that can carry 2.2 kg on the hardpoint. Because it uses the same stabilisation stack and control protocol as the rest of the XQ series, it can share a mount and a cable run with other heads in the range.

Weight 2.2 kg
Two-axis stabilised
EO 1920 × 1080
Thermal 640 × 512
LRF 50 m – 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 XQ-155T is

The XQ-155T exists for its thermal lens. At 2.2 kg it carries a 55 mm thermal optic on a 640 × 512 core, which is the aperture that lets a night watch resolve a person at 1.5 km rather than only detect a shape. The daylight side is a 30x optic, the laser reaches 5 km, and all three sit in a Φ155 × 212.5 mm envelope. Where the lighter two-axis head in the family is chosen for its mass, this one is chosen for what the thermal channel can still resolve after dark.

55 mm of thermal aperture, and what it changes after dark

Night work is where this configuration separates itself from the shorter two-axis pods.

EO / visible

1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm

The family daylight optic: 4.3 mm to sweep, 129 mm to read.

Thermal / IR

640 × 512, 55 mm fixed

The reason this model exists: 1.5 km on a person after dark.

Laser rangefinder

50 m – 5 km (± 1 m)

Far enough for a vessel, near enough for the mast underneath.

What the extra 20 mm of glass pays for

Against the shorter thermal optics in the range, 55 mm returns 1.5 km on a person and 6.3 km on a vehicle on the same detector. That difference is the argument for the extra mass, and it shows at night.

Daylight EO imagery from a HITS camera payload with vehicles detected and boxed automatically — Thirty-power daylight imagery with the onboard detector drawing boxes on vehicles.

A night watch that decides, not just detects

Detection at 1.5 km is a warm shape at the edge of the field. Seeing it early enough to choose an approach is the operational difference, and a boresighted core with NETD ≤ 40 mK gives the crew that while the aircraft still has options.

Thermal imagery from a HITS camera payload with a target held by the onboard tracker — Thermal view from the 55 mm optic, a target held steady by the tracker.

The laser as the bridge between channels

Fifty metres to 5 km at ± 1 m. A thermal contact without a range is a bearing and an estimate; with a measurement it becomes a point a ground team can be sent to in the dark.

HITS ground station showing UAV payload video with target coordinates — Operator display: video, the coordinate solution, and the state of each channel.

The channels divide the day in two. The zoom does daytime identification, the thermal does the night work, and the laser turns either into a position.

Stabilisation and mechanical design

Two axes, and the assumption behind them

Pitch and yaw are brushless axes with high-resolution encoding and no gear stage, holding ≤ 100 μrad (1σ) while the loop responds at ≥ 60°/s. The assumption is that the airframe holds roll, which frees what a third axis would have weighed for glass.

2.2 kg, Φ155 × 212.5 mm, 20 W cruising

The envelope is Φ155 × 212.5 mm and the draw is 20 W, 60 W at peak, on 11–28 VDC. That is low for an aperture this size, and it leaves current on a small airframe for the datalink.

Detection and tracking at the edge

Overlays that do not depend on the radio

Person, vehicle, vessel and aircraft detection run on the payload. On a night sortie the thermal feed is the only thing the crew watches, so a box drawn in the turret is the difference between looking at the right patch and searching for it.

A lock that comes back after cover

Up to 20 targets can be held, and the working lock is re-acquired after it disappears behind a hedge, a mast or a hull. The clip is written on board while that happens.

Integrating the 155 at airframe level

Two kilograms and a 155 mm turret want a mount and a cable run designed for them.

Bracket, isolation and bolt pattern

The release is quick and the base is vibration-isolated. Where a customer airframe uses a different bolt pattern, an adapter plate bridges it. Because 2.2 kg and Φ155 × 212.5 mm are released limits, the structural case closes from the datasheet.

What the harness has to carry

Size the feed for the 60 W peak, not the 20 W cruise figure. Control is serial with SBUS and MAVLink on the autopilot side, video leaves as H.264 or H.265 over Ethernet at 100 Mbps, and 128 GB records on the pod. Operating range −20 °C to +60 °C. Rest of the layer: the technology pages.

XQ-155T gimbal camera payload integrated on a fixed-wing UAV with ground control station

On the aircraft

Fixed-wing installation: payload on the hardpoint, one run of cable forward, ground station on the link.

Ask for the datasheet and you also get the three-view drawing with its pinout; the protocol and video pipeline notes come with the flight hardware, together with the calibration report from that unit’s bench run. All of it clears export review with the pod.

Full specifications

Model	XQ-155T
Series	EO/IR Pod Systems (XQ series)
Stabilisation	Two-axis gyro-stabilised, ≤ 100 μrad
Sensor configuration	EO + IR + LRF
Visible channel	1920 × 1080, 30x zoom 4.3 – 129 mm
Thermal channel	640 × 512, 55 mm fixed
Laser rangefinder	50 m – 5 km (± 1 m)
Weight	≤2.2 kg
Dimensions	≤Φ155 × 212.5 mm
Power consumption	20 W / 60 W
Detection (EO)	6 km person / 15 km vehicle
Detection (IR)	1.5 km person / 6.3 km vehicle

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

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

Shared across the XQ 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. How onboard AI tracking works.
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 XQ-155T is used

Three night-heavy taskings that justify carrying a 55 mm thermal optic.

Night perimeter patrol
The thermal channel is why this head is on the aircraft: 1.5 km on a person through the dark, with a tracker that holds the contact while the crew decides what to do about it. The zoom and the laser cover the daylight half of the same sortie, so one payload flies both watches without a second aircraft or a swap in the middle of a shift.
UAV security →
River and coastal watch
A small vessel at 6.3 km on the thermal channel is a wake and a warm hull; closer in, the 55 mm lens resolves the deck. The 5 km laser fixes the distance and the coordinate, which is the part a patrol boat acts on, and the daylight channel names the vessel once there is light to work with.
UAV surveillance →
Night search and rescue
A missing person is a thermal target in a field or a treeline, and 1.5 km of detection range lets the aircraft sweep a line without descending into it. The zoom gives the crew an identification pass at first light, and the laser marks the position for the team on the ground rather than describing it over the radio.
Night vision →

Questions engineers ask about the XQ-155T

How far does the XQ-155T detect a person or a vehicle?

Through the 55 mm thermal optic, 1.5 km on a person and 6.3 km on a vehicle, both on the 1.7 m and 2.3 m standard targets. The 30x daylight channel reaches 6 km and 15 km on the same pair. Identification needs a closer look than any of those.

Why does the thermal lens matter more than the laser on this model?

Because the laser changes the number on the screen and the lens changes what the crew can see. A 5 km measurement is useful, but a night watch that can resolve a person at 1.5 km can decide what to do about them, and that is the capability this configuration is bought for.

Can the thermal channel be used for identification, not just detection?

Sometimes. 1.5 km on a person is a detection figure, and identification needs more pixels on the target, so in practice it means a closer orbit or the daylight channel. The 55 mm lens buys the range at which the decision to close can be made.

How many units can we start with, and when does it ship?

A stock build starts at one head. Modify the configuration and the floor rises to 100 units. Anything we keep in stock leaves as stock, so the wait is carriage; a volume or custom batch gets its dates in the quotation document itself. Payment runs on T/T, with a one-year warranty from delivery.

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 XQ-155T

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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