XQ series · Two-axis · EO + IR + LRF

XQ-225T two-axis EO/IR pod with 9 km LRF

55x daylight zoom and a 275 mm thermal reach for identification at the edge of the envelope. 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 7 kg
Two-axis stabilised
EO 1920 × 1080
Thermal 640 × 512
LRF 80 m – 9 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-225T is

The XQ-225T is a long-lens pod on a two-axis mount. It pairs a 55x daylight optic running 4.25 – 234 mm with a thermal channel that zooms continuously from 20 mm to 275 mm, and adds a laser reaching 9 km, all in 7 kg. Both channels are long at the far end and wide at the near one, so the head is built for airframes that can hold a steady line at altitude: fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and maritime patrol types that identify a contact from a standoff rather than fly to it.

Long on both channels, wide on both channels

Two zooming channels make this the first head in the family where neither view is fixed.

EO / visible

1920 × 1080, 55x zoom 4.25 – 234 mm

10.1 km on a person, 25 km on a vehicle: the longest daylight reach here.

Thermal / IR

640 × 512, continuous zoom 20 – 275 mm

The longest night lens below the ten-kilogram head: 6.1 km person, 21.6 km vehicle.

Laser rangefinder

80 m – 9 km (± 1 m)

Eye-safe at 1535 nm, with a floor low enough for a mast on a low pass.

Two hundred and thirty-four millimetres, and what it costs

Fifty-five power on a 1920 × 1080 sensor puts 10.1 km of person detection and 25 km of vehicle detection in front of the crew. That reach is bought with glass and with the structure to hold it steady, which is most of the 7 kg.

Daylight EO imagery from a HITS camera payload with vehicles detected and boxed automatically — Daylight at 55x: a wide field first, then a single vehicle filling the frame.

A thermal that reaches 275 mm

Twenty to 275 mm continuously, 6.1 km on a person and 21.6 km on a vehicle at the long end. The wide end is a genuine search field, so a night sortie sweeps and then narrows without changing sensor or losing the lock.

Thermal imagery from a HITS camera payload with a target held by the onboard tracker — Thermal continuous zoom, 20 mm to 275 mm, with the tracker holding across the change.

Ranging out to nine kilometres

Eighty metres to 9 km at ± 1 m. The reach is matched to the optics rather than to a round number: a channel that finds a vehicle at 21.6 km needs a measurement that can be useful at that distance.

HITS ground station showing UAV payload video with target coordinates — Ground station: video from either channel and the coordinate the 9 km laser returned.

Two zooming channels and a 9 km laser are the specification; the reason to buy them is that neither the day nor the night view is committed before the aircraft launches.

Stabilisation and mechanical design

The mechanics of two long lenses

Two lens groups sitting far forward of the rotation point is the awkward part of this design, and it is why the bearings and motor are specified for a seven-kilogram head rather than borrowed from a lighter one. The sight line holds ≤ 100 μrad (1σ) with the loop closing at ≥ 60°/s.

Seven kilograms in Φ225 × 290.5 mm

The turret measures Φ225 × 290.5 mm and draws 50 W in cruise, 100 W at peak, on 11–28 VDC. A head this size wants a hardpoint built for a turret, and publishing the envelope lets the fairing and cable route be drawn first.

Detection and tracking at the edge

Boxes on a long lens

Detection, classification and tracking are computed in the pod. At 234 mm and 275 mm a target can be a handful of pixels, and the module is what turns those into a class and a track.

Twenty marks across a wide sweep

Up to 20 targets can be held while one is worked. A maritime sweep marks contacts as they appear, and the tracker re-acquires after a hull passes behind a headland.

Mounting seven kilograms with a long lens

The airframe side is structure, current and a mount stiff enough for two long optics.

Hardpoint and stiffness

Quick-release on an isolated base, with plates for other bolt patterns. Seven kilograms of long optics wants a stiff interface: a compliant bracket shows up as line-of-sight error whatever the gimbal does, which is why the mounting drawing ships with the datasheet rather than being improvised at integration.

Current, control and the video path

Reserve 100 W for the peak; the 50 W cruise figure will mislead a bus sized on it. Beyond that the harness is the family’s: 11–28 VDC, a serial control pair with SBUS and MAVLink, and Ethernet video at 100 Mbps while 128 GB records on the pod. Sealed to −20 °C to +60 °C running. Compare against the technology pages.

XQ-225T gimbal camera payload integrated on a fixed-wing UAV with ground control station

On the aircraft

A seven-kilogram turret on a fixed-wing airframe, with the ground station on the same link.

Every turret is despatched with its own serialised calibration report, the control protocol it was tested against, a note on the video pipeline, and a three-view outline carrying the pinout. No document leaves without export review.

Full specifications

Model	XQ-225T
Series	EO/IR Pod Systems (XQ series)
Stabilisation	Two-axis gyro-stabilised, ≤ 100 μrad
Sensor configuration	EO + IR + LRF
Visible channel	1920 × 1080, 55x zoom 4.25 – 234 mm
Thermal channel	640 × 512, continuous zoom 20 – 275 mm
Laser rangefinder	80 m – 9 km (± 1 m)
Weight	≤7 kg
Dimensions	≤Φ225 × 290.5 mm
Power consumption	50 W / 100 W
Detection (EO)	10.1 km person / 25 km vehicle
Detection (IR)	6.1 km person / 21.6 km vehicle

Detection distances follow the standard 1.7 m person / 2.3 m vehicle convention. Rows marked as shared are common across the 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
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-225T is used

Three profiles that need identification from a standoff rather than a close approach.

Maritime and border patrol
A vessel of interest is usually identified long before it is intercepted. With 10.1 km of daylight person detection, a thermal channel reaching 275 mm and a 9 km laser, the aircraft holds its line and still says what the contact is and where it is, which is what a patrol vessel needs before committing to an intercept rather than after.
UAV surveillance →
Helicopter observation
A helicopter carries the mass and the electrical margin without argument, and it holds a line well enough for a two-axis mount. The 234 mm daylight end and the 275 mm thermal end let an observer work a scene from a standoff orbit, and because both channels zoom, a change of task does not need a change of aircraft or a second sortie.
Helicopter cameras →
Long-range identification from fixed wing
An aircraft flying a line at altitude cannot descend for every contact. Two long channels and a 9 km rangefinder let the crew identify and fix a target from the patrol altitude, which keeps the sortie profile intact and the aircraft outside the area being observed, where it is not itself the thing people notice first.
Long-range imaging →

Questions engineers ask about the XQ-225T

What are the detection ranges on the XQ-225T?

The visible channel is quoted at 10.1 km on a person and 25 km on a vehicle, the thermal channel at 6.1 km and 21.6 km, all against the standard 1.7 m person and 2.3 m vehicle targets. Identification comes closer in.

Why carry two zooming channels instead of one zoom and one fixed lens?

Because the night sortie has the same problem as the day one. A fixed thermal lens commits the night watch to either a search field or an identification field before take-off; 20 – 275 mm lets the crew choose in flight, and 640 × 512 keeps the narrow end readable.

Which platforms suit a 7 kg pod?

Fixed-wing aircraft with a hardpoint rated for a turret, helicopters and maritime patrol types. The pod measures Φ225 × 290.5 mm and draws 50 W in cruise, 100 W at peak, so the aircraft needs structural and electrical margin rather than an adapter bracket.

Can we order a single head to evaluate before committing?

Yes, at catalogue configuration. A single unit is the normal starting point, and the 100-unit floor only applies once the build departs from that. If the head is one we stock, it ships from the shelf; otherwise the dates come back with the quotation, on T/T terms and a one-year warranty.

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-225T

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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