Bavovna AI at the 2025 Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Summit
We’re excited to announce that Bavovna AI will be featured at the 2025 Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Summit, taking place April 16–17, 2025, at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C.
Bavovna AI is a dual-use technology company specializing in AI-driven alternative PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) for unmanned vehicles operating in GNSS-denied and electronic warfare (EW) environments.
Our flagship solution, the UAV AirTower, developed in collaboration with Aurelia Aerospace, delivers unjammable and non-spoofable positioning with 99.98% accuracy—without relying on maps or visual inputs. Using advanced Hybrid Inertial Navigation, AirTower ensures precise and resilient UAV operations across the most challenging terrains, including sand dunes, snow deserts, and maritime domains.
UAVs aren’t just for shooting cool vacay videos or doing industrial asset inspections. With some tinkering, even a simple starter drone can become a real danger to public safety. In the actual conflict zones, anti-drone systems are saturating strategic locations.
As the adage goes, awareness is the first line of defense. So, we prepared this quick brief about counter-drone technology.
Common Types of Counter-Drone Systems
Whether you’re seeking protection or, on the contrary, want to understand the threats looming in contested airspace, here’s an overview of the most common counter-drone technology.
RF Scanners and Jammers
Radiofrequency drone scanners tune it to the spectrums, frequently used by most commercial drones to communicate with their controller. An RF scanner can easily detect, identify, and triangulate signals at 4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands. The cheapest ones cost around $30 on Aliexpress or $80 on eBay. A more expensive $400 hand-held detector, in turn, offers detection capabilities up to a 1 km/0.6 miles range.
More advanced RF scanners can also decode transmitted metadata like drone model, operator location, or even its unique identifier, enabling drone detection without a line of sight.
Coupled with an RF jammer, this counter-drone technology can effectively take out cruising UAVs using:
Noise jamming: Floods frequencies with random signals to overwhelm the receiver and disrupt the connection link.
Deceptive jamming: Transmits false navigation data to jumble navigation paths or even overtake drone control.
Barrage jamming: Blocks multiple frequencies simultaneously to take down the drone.
For example, an anti-drone gun from DroneShield creates signal interferences at 433 MHz, 915 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz frequencies at a distance of up to 2 km/1.25 miles.
DF-1 (Dome Protection) Electronic Warfare Complex from PIRANHA TECH Ltd offers even better protection with omnidirectional radio jamming in the ranges of 300 to 5900 mHz. Thanks to its compact size, it can be mounted on both buildings and vehicles to safeguard critical assets.
Generally, RF drone jammers can cause major havoc unless you use counter strategies like frequency-hopping, signal encryption, or fully autonomous drone flight modes.
Electro-Optical (EO) Systems
EO counter-drone systems combine HD cameras with thermal sensors to detect passing drones — their shape, movement patterns, and contrast against the background. Modern EO sensors have ultra-high sensitivity in the range of 0.001 to 0.01 lux, allowing effective drone detection at night or during low-light conditions.
Once a drone is visually confirmed, the EO system can continuously track it, providing detailed data such as flight path, altitude, and speed. Or it can transmit a signal to a connected RF drone jammer to take it down.
Acoustic Sensors
Simpler anti-drone systems use acoustic sensors to detect noise signatures from passing drones, such as propeller whirring and motor humming. Using a library of known drone signatures, the system can then identify specific drone models and estimate their location and direction of movement.
A standard acoustic drone detection system usually operates in the 20 Hz and 20 kHz range, with most attuned to the 1 kHz to 10 kHz range where drone propeller and motor noise is most audible. Ukrainian military forces, for example, have built a highly effective (and low-cost) acoustic drone detection network around the country, now eyed by the US military.
For extra precision, some acoustic drone detection systems may also leverage neural networks. Generally, acoustic sensors are deployed as an alternative to RF drone jammers in urban or manufacturing areas, where RF signal noise is high and visual detection is limited.
Radar Systems
Counter drone radar systems monitor for drones entering the surveilled perimeter. By analyzing reflected radio waves, an anti-drone radar can estimate the UAV’s position, speed, altitude, and trajectory. And then alert the ground team to take action.
Unlike optical or acoustic drone detection systems, even the cheapest radars work effectively in all weather conditions and don’t require a direct line of sight, enabling long-range drone detection. More advanced ones, in turn, can even detect smaller, low-flying FPV drones with high accuracy.
Again, anyone can purchase drone detection radars online these days on online marketplaces, with the price tag starting at about $7,000 per two sets.
GPS Drone Spoofers
GPS drone spoofers are arguably the most deployed counter-drone technology. Cheap and effective, they swap the legitimate signal for a fake one to send the UAV off course or force it to return to a fake home location.
Technically, GPS spoofers produce GPS L1 or L2 signals (1.57542 GHz and 1.2276 GHz, respectively), using synchronized timing and data structures to imitate satellite constellations. Advanced models may also adjust the timing and Doppler shift of their signals to make the deception more convincing for unsuspecting vehicles.
The cheapest GPS spoofers retail for just under $200 online, while military-grade ones go for up to $100K. The latter have a longer range, higher signal precision, and more sophisticated controls. Some models, like the KVERTUS AD G-6 anti-drone gun, also combine GPS and RF jamming to fully disorient the drone. At any rate, your best odds of ‘surviving the encounter’ is to switch to an alternative navigation mode, for example, using data from INS.
High-Power Microwave (HPM) Devices
Moving on to the realm of military-grade anti-drone weapons, we have the new breed of HMP anti-drone systems, actively tested by several governments. Such devices emit highly concentrated electromagnetic energy bursts (at a 300 MHz and 300 GHz range) to effectively “fry” the drone’s electronics.
The advantages of HPM systems:
No reliance on visual, acoustic, or RF signatures
Ultra-fast response even to multiple targets (e.g., in drone swarm attack scenarios)
Non-lethal for operators or invisible bystanders
The obvious downside is the cost. HPMs retail for several million dollars. For example, the four HPM counter-swarm system prototypes commissioned by the US military cost $66 million.
Laser Anti-Drone Systems
Laser anti-drone systems are another proven method for destroying hostile UAVs. A focused beam hits the drone’s propellers, sensors, or onboard electronics until they melt, and the drone crashes.
Most laser drone guns include EO or infrared tracking to lock onto the moving target, maintain focus, and then fire a near-instantaneous laser pulse to take it down. This allows for great accuracy and minimizes collateral damage. On the downside, the system’s effectiveness goes down with atmospheric conditions such as dust, fog, rain, or smoke as these scatter or absorb the beam.
Cruise Without Disruption with Bavovna’s AI Kit
Counter-drone technologies like GPS spoofers, RF jammers, and EW drone guns have become really affordable and easy to purchase. But counter techniques evolve, too.
At Bavovna, we’ve developed a hybrid INS system, powered by AI to safely fly in hostile environments. Hosted in a protective EW case, our AI kit enables seamless navigation in GPS-denied environments, safe cruising through jammed areas, and even fully autonomous flights.
In 2016, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized using drones weighing 55 pounds or less. LiDAR UAV mapping was one of the first new use cases, used to survey vegetation enrichment across power lines.
Almost a decade later, LiDAR UAV sensors and payloads are plenty to go around. But are they a good investment? Here’s our take.
Advantages of a UAV LiDAR Sensor
LiDAR is kind of like echolocation but with light — it measures distance by bouncing laser beams off objects. This capability adds some major improvements to autonomous navigation, obstacle detection, and land surveying.
Autonomous Navigation in GPS-Denied Environments
UAV LiDAR sensors allow drones to stay on the flight path even when the GPS signal is weak or absent. Thanks to Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), drones can be programmed to create a live 3D map of the surroundings to localize itself. For instance, Flyability Elios 3 uses a combination of computer vision, LiDAR payload, and an NVIDIA GPU to instantaneously create a live point cloud for indoor navigation.
SLAM enables a host of drone use cases in mining — shaft and tunnel exploration, geotechnical stability analysis, and terrain mapping among others. Likewise, it improves indoor drone deployments in large warehouses or storage tanks, where GNSS signal interference is high.
Real-Time Obstacle Detection and Avoidance
LiDAR lends UAVs extra ‘sensing powers’ for early obstacle detection and avoidance. Modern sensors emit laser pulses in all directions (often with a spinning scanner or multi-beam setup), giving the drone a 360° situational awareness without relying on a pilot camera.
State-of-the-art LiDAR-based collision avoidance systems can compute avoidance trajectories for drones in just 50 milliseconds. In practice, this means a UAV can traverse complex terrains — busy urban areas, industrial sites, or forests with dense vegetation — even in full auto-pilot mode.
Cost-Effective Surveying and Mapping
Mapping is arguably where LiDAR makes the most difference. Specialized LiDAR payloads measure the ground distance with centimeter-level precision, supplying surveyors with detailed digital terrain models (DTMs) and digital surface models (DSMs).
Because the best long-range drones can fly relatively low and slow (thanks to a bigger battery), you can collect a high density of points, capturing fine terrain features like narrow power lines or moving animals in less time. Topographic surveys, which used to take weeks with conventional methods, can now be done in a day.
Disadvantages of a UAV LiDAR
Adding LiDAR sensors to drones unlocks new enviable capabilities. But just like with any other technology, there are several tradeoffs.
Higher Power Consumption
UAV LiDAR sensors are on the bulky side, meaning less stability and reduced flight time. Flyability Elios 3 drone has a regular flight time of 12 minutes, which drops to just 9 when
A LiDAR payload is mounted. For VTOLs with bigger batteries, high power consumption is less of a pickle. However, ensuring proper power management for a custom LiDAR payload can require some structural modifications.
High Price Tag
Compared to a decade ago, LiDAR UAV technology has become more affordable. Still, the cost of an entry-level drone LiDAR systems start at around $2,000 to $5,000. If you want higher precision systems with embedded quality assurance for commercial or tactical applications, be prepared to spend north of $20K.
Positioning Accuracy
The accuracy of LiDAR data depends on the drone’s positioning system. Standard GNSS receivers in starter drones offer positional accuracy of about 5-10 meters, which isn’t enough for mapping use cases. For better results, you’ll need Differential GNSS systems like RTK or PPK improve positional accuracy to 1-2 centimeters. But this means extra investment and dependency on GPS signal quality.
Alternatives to LiDAR for Smooth Navigation
If you’re main use case for LiDAR UAV is (semi)autonomous navigation in GPS-denined environments, there’s a great alternative to LiDAR — Bavovna’s AI Navigation Kit.
Unlike expensive and bulky LiDAR systems, Bavovna’s device is low SWAP. The max current consumption is just 10A, and it’s compatible with a standard +5V power supply. Instead of using LiDAR, Bavovna applies AI fusion to process UAV INS data and supply the drone with situational awareness. Custom-trained on live flight data, our system has an
end point positioning error of under 0.5% in GPS-denined environments.
Soaring into the air has never been easier (or cheaper), thanks to a growing selection of starter drones on the market. There are starter drones for kids retailing for under $25 and more advanced models for videography, racing, inspections, and FPV flights.
At Bavovna, we spend a lot of time, testing different drone models as we train models for AI navigation. And a good part of our team are also avid drone hobbyists. So if you’re in the market for a new quad, here are recs of the best starter drones.
Best Starter Drone With Camera: DJI Mini 4 Pro
DJI is almost eponymous with the ‘camera drone’. They’ve got several great beginner drones including NEO, Mavic Mini, and Air 2S. But we prefer DJI Mini 3 because it offers a premium drone photography experience without a premium price.
Lightweight and portable, DJI Mini 3 can cruise for up to 50 minutes (in good flight conditions and with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus add-on). Otherwise, it’s a good 20 to 30 minutes of flight time — more than enough to capture some scenic shots. Extra features like QuickShots mode can help you snap even more content with its 12MP camera with 4K video capabilities.
A DJI Mini 3 is the best starter drone because of its robust safety features: Geofencing, infrared collision sensors, a downward vision system, and automatic return-to-home when your battery runs out or your connection lags. Overall, DJI Mini 3 offers an affordable gateway into drone videography, making it easy to capture stunning aerial shots—without the complexity of pro-level models.
Eachine Novice IV is easy to start using, plus it’s packed with pro features to explore as you advance—so you’ll never hit a ceiling. It comes assembled, bound to the radio controller, and the right video channel matched with your goggles aka ready-to-fly.
Battery life is commendable: about 20 minutes with a stock battery and 30 minutes with an alternative 4S 18650 3000mah. An integrated 1080p camera captures detailed, crisp shots with a 3-axis gimbal preventing motion blur. Hold and headless modes also make novice FVP flying easier and GPS Rescue helps with faster drone retrievals in case your mission went rogue.
Skydio X10 is a compact yet long-range drone with an ample flight time of 40 minutes, thanks to an 8419 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery — more than enough to run inspections around larger industrial sites.
Featuring a triple sensor array—narrow, telephoto, and radiometric thermal cameras— the drone shoots HD footage even in low-light conditions. A 22 lux flashlight also helps. Plus you can opt for an array with a thermal FLIR Boson+ sensor, offering sensitivity down to 30 mK and a resolution of 640 x 512 px.
All of these characteristics make SkydioX10 a stellar choice for condition-based asset monitoring programs.
Retailing for about $260 (with all accessories), EMAX Tinyhawk III is a great entry-level racing drone, packed with some solid features. The pre-installed 1S 450 mAh battery system gives about 4-5 minutes in flight time but can be easily swapped for a more robust option.
With a durable, but lightweight body and propeller protection, Tinyhawk III can withstand the (inevitable) light collisions and bumpy landings, giving you ample room to practice. An improved control system (an EMAX E8 transmitter) offers faster navigation response during swift maneuvers.
The integrated RunCam Nano 4 FPV camera offers crisp, real-time footage for immersive flights. The triple-combo of affordability, performance, and user-friendly navigation make EMAX Tinyhawk III a great option for building up your FVP skills.
Discover even more drone recommendations in Bavovna’s UAV directory.
Posted on Mar 2, 2025
Where to Buy UAV Parts? Top Recommendations
Whether you just had an unfortunate ‘incident’ with a tree or want to upgrade a VTOL with a new motor for extra flight time, you gotta know where to source UAV parts.
There are loads of drone parts suppliers on the market — and even more online resellers. To save you time, we’ve put down the list of sites where we’d shop any day for UAV parts and custom-made components.
3 Places to Get UAV Parts for Leisure and Starter Drones
If you need some spares for your beginner drone like an extra battery or new propellers for a racer drone, the following websites offer some good deals.
Banggood.
If you’re looking for affordable UAV parts, Banggood is a good place to start. The Chinese e-commerce marketplace pedals a lot of wares from mostly Asian-based sellers. The prices are on the cheaper side, but quality can be hit or miss. So always read the reviews.
GetFVP
As it says on the tin, GetFPV sells loads of racing FPV drones, along with popular camera drones from DJI, HOVERAir, and Lumenier. Plus, you can find spare parts for all of these manufacturers and others — electronics, frames, propellers, and extra batteries. The goods ship from the US, so delivery times are fast if you’re in North America.
QuadPartPiker
QuadPartPicker is a good option for more prolific builders. It offers a bigger selection of quad parts, including flight controllers, receivers, ESCs, frames, and video transmitters. Their jumbo-sized catalog is nicely organized with extra filters to narrow down your selection by size, power, frequency, or another characteristic. Sold brands include Walksnail, Flywoo, AxisFlying, and Happymodel among others.
3 Suppliers of UAV Parts for Commercial Drones and VTOLs
You may find the following companies to be great partners if you are looking to build UAV platforms and VTOLs.
UAVOS
UAVOS, operating out of Mountain View, California, has built its reputation as a reliable UAV supplier, trusted by the likes of NASA and GRADEONE. Its autopilot models are particularly worthy of attention. Available for fixed-wing and rotary UAVs with a takeoff range of 15 kg to 4000 kg, the autopilot supports dead-reckoning, GPS-denied navigation, automatic take-off and landing, full payload control, and feedback.
Apart from autopilots, UAVOS also develops frames, servo drives, engines, and ground control units. You can also request fully custom drone construction services or lease their equipment, instead of buying.
H3Dynamics
If you’re in the market for a hydrogen-powered UAV engine, H3 Dynamics offers ultra-light hydrogen fuel cell systems with 250W to 2000W nominal power. Their lightest PEM fuel cell stack weighs only 720 gr (1.6 lbs) — a great option for smaller, tactical UAVs. The system is plug-and-play and includes performance data transmission and software for viewing it.
For long-duration field missions, the team also offers a mobile automatic refilling trailer for safely producing hydrogen from water. Using onboard technology, you can refill a 9L – 350 bar cylinder in under 2.5 hours or faster (depending on the configuration). The conversion process is fully automatic with little human supervision required.
Refitech
Dutch Refitech has been producing custom composite solutions for construction, defense, and more recently — the drone industry — since 1989. They’re best known for light-weight high-endurance, custom-made composite frames for fixed wings, quadcopters, VTOLs, and gyrocopters.
The company can produce custom-designed drone bodies, based on your specs or hook you up with a good selection of standard carbon tubes and panels for drone construction. They also offer ready-to-fit (sub)assemblies for those seeking faster time-to-market.
Discover even more drone parts manufacturers in Bavovna’s UAV directory.
Posted on Feb 19, 2025
Top Five Best Drones for Beginners
If you’re buying your first-ever drone, there are four things to consider
Stabilisation features. As not yet a very experienced pilot, you’d want a gliding drone with GPS stabilization, which automatically maintains a steady flight path and minimizes drift. Models with even a basic gyroscope and accelerometer also add extra “fineness” to your flight and footage.
Safety controls like automatic return-to-home, hoover on lost signal, geo-fencing, and obstacle avoidance also reduce the odds of drone crash or loss several days after purchasing.
Battery life. The cheapest beginner drones have a flight time of 10 minutes, which is hardly enough to really enjoy the experience or hone your skills, not mention capture some decent shots. Pay some extra money for a starter drone with a 1500mAh 4S battery.
User-friendly piloting app. Spend as much time on checking out the piloting app as reviewing the drone itself. You’d want software with intuitive controls and a convenient smartphone app. The must-have features for beginners are altitude hold, headless mode, and auto-hovering.
Here are five models that fit the above description to the dot.
DJI NEO
DJI NEO is arguably the most affordable videography drone on the market right now, with a going price of under $200. At 135 g (4.8 oz), the drone can be flown in every country without any UAV authorization. (Although you should still maintain common sense safety rules like avoiding people overflight or cruising in restricted zones).
But for its tiny size, DJI NEO offers some mighty fine filming features: 4K video, 12MP stills, presets for auto-shooting from different dynamic angles, vertical video recording, and voice-activated control.
Ryze Tello
If you’re looking for a cheap, mostly indoor beginner drone, Ryze Tello can be loads of fun. It’s ridiculously simple to control using the app and flight controller combo. And you can add FVI goggles for extra giggles if you’re training your racing skills. On the downside, the flight time is just 13 minutes and the max flight distance is 100 m/328 ft, so it’s definitely not the best drone for filming outdoorsy escapades.
Potensic ATOM SE
Foldable ATOM SE boasts build quality. It’s sturdy, durable, but still lightweight (250 grams/8.8 ounces) to not fall under commercial drone regulations. The 4 km / 13,123 ft transmission range gives you ample room to shoot some great stills with a Sony 12MP CMOS sensor camera with a 118° FOV and a vertical +20° to -90° adjustment angle.
ATOM SE can stay in the air for about 30 minutes at low altitudes, with no wind conditions. But the flight duration and quality drop a lot if you’re out on a windy day.
Parrot ANAFI Ai
If you have extra cash to spare for a more professional drone, ANAFI Ai hooks you up with a roster of incredible features for autonomous photogrammetry. The 48 MP camera with a 14 EV dynamic range and 6x zoom shoots the crispest images, even at high flight speeds.
The video is of stellar quality too: 4K video, including in P-Log and HDR10 4K videos up to 30 fps. And those planning some UAV mapping missions would appreciate specialized photogrammetry flight modes available in the drone app and 1-click flight plan creation.
HappyModel BNF Crux35
As a beginner racing drone, we can full-heartedly recommend HappyModel BNF Crux35. Retailing for under $150, the FPV drone touts an EX1404 high-efficiency motor and HQPROP 3.5-inch three-blade propeller for a robust thrust-to-weight ratio. With a 4S 850mAh battery, you’ll get about 16 minutes of flight time (but that’s all subject to how fast you choose to go).
The FPV camera isn’t amazing (although you can easily replace it with a better alternative). This is a good starter racing drone that won’t hurt you too much if you crash it.
Discover even more drone recommendations in Bavovna’s UAV directory.
Posted on Feb 10, 2025
How Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) Generate Efficiency Underwater
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is an autonomous, unmanned submersible used in underwater missions. Highly maneuverable, low-energy, and equipped with advanced robotics and AI, ROVs streamline underwater inspections and provide new knowledge of the global oceans.
Here’s how remote operation vehicles make waves (pun intended) in maritime operations, the oil and gas industry, sea farming, and oceanography.
Top 3 Remotely Operated Vehicle Use Cases
Top-of-the-line ROVs have 4K resolution, wide lens cameras, and auto-color correction for crisp underwater imagery. Strong LED lights give visibility in murky environments. Some models may be tethered for communication with the operator, while others use AI-powered autonomous navigation.
Depending on the use case, a remotely operated vehicle can feature a robotic arm for contact manipulations, imaging sonar for 3D mapping and obstacle detection, plus onboard data processing units.
These characteristics make the following underwater operations possible.
Asset Inspections
ROVs can replace divers on tedious and dangerous underwater missions. In the oil & gas industry, offshore platform operators use ROVs to inspect for structural corrosion, cracks, and other deformations. Some models also have specialized ultrasonic gauges to detect thickness loss in pipelines or rinsers or perform weld seam inspections for signs of fatigue.
Petrobras uses a fleet of ROVs to carry out inspection, maintenance, and repair of underwater equipment along the Brazilian coast. TAQA Netherlands also deployed uncrewed surface vessels for integrity inspections of shallow water infrastructure in the North Sea.
Similarly, ROVs have become the go-to tool for routine inspections in the maritime industry. Offering faster turn-around and lower costs, remote-operated vehicles can be used for hull, rudder, propeller, and anchor inspections. Norwegian Coastguard recently enlisted a Blueye Robotics’ X3 ROV to run hull inspections.
Underwater Pipeline Surveying
Underwater pipeline leaks cost oil and gas operators millions in revenue loss and regulatory fines. ROVs can survey up to 25 km (15.5 miles) of underwater pipelines daily, helping operators manage maintenance. Specialized models with NDT tools can also detect early-stage pipe thinning for preventive strategies. And micro-ROVs can inspect pipelines from the inside through access points as small as 19-inch manholes.
Total Energies recently completed a pilot pipeline inspection program in the North Sea with Freedom AUV. The vehicle inspected over 120 km (75 miles) of submarine pipelines and 60km (37 miles) of near-shore pipelines for structural defects, with all data acquired in a single pass.
Sustainability Initiatives
ROVs have also become a staple in oceanography, helping scientists learn about marine life, pollution levels, and oceanic ecosystem trends. Besides data acquisition, they help drive meaningful change and offset environmental impacts.
Norwegian seafood producer Mowi increased its ROV deployments by 40% over the last year to support new initiatives for improved fish welfare. ROVs help remove dead fish from net pens, segregate jellyfish, and clean up harmful algae blooms. Thanks to the innovation, Mowi Scotland achieved a 96% superior-grade fish at harvest, while improving its animal welfare standards.
Chevron, in turn, deployed a pair of mini-ROVs — one providing visuals to the operator and the second doing the scrubbing — to clean underwater platform structures from unwanted marine growth. The compact ROV minimizes diver use and contributes to cleaner global waters.
Remote-operated vehicles also have dozens of other already feasible deployment scenarios and even more possible ones with greater adoption of AI-powered navigation systems. Some ROV use cases are currently limited by poor connectivity in the seas. At Bavovna, aim to solve this problem with AI. Compatible with both UAVs and ROVs, our INS brings the power of AI sensor fusion and autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments. Learn more about our AI hybrid-INS system.
Posted on Feb 1, 2025
How to Compensate for Drone Inertial Navigation Unit Deficiencies
An internal navigation system (INS) provides extra situational awareness to UAVs, complementing other navigation units like GNSS, SLAM, or LIDAR-based systems. Working independently of satellites, an INS is great for countering GPS signal loss or targeted UAV jamming. But most commercial internal navigation units in drones aren’t without some critical shortcomings.
Shortcomings of Commercial UAV Inertial Navigation Units
Most top-of-the-shelf drones are pre-furbished with internal navigation units that still require external data sources like a ground station or fusion with other sensors for autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments. More advanced UAVs may feature better units, but they’re still susceptible to a range of issues.
Sensitivity to Environmental Conditions
MEMS-based inertial navigation units exhibit performance degradation under high temperatures, rapid temperature cycling, composite stress, high vibrations, and electromagnetic interference (e.g., from nearby equipment or transmission towers). High-end internal navigation systems can run smooth at a -40°C to 85°C (-40°F to 185°F) range and maintain very low bias residual errors. But they also come at a premium price tag and may not be compatible with all drone models.
Sensor Drift
Most INS require initial initialization and regular calibration to compensate for the inevitable drift, leading to cumulative velocity or displacement errors during flights in GPS-denied environments.
The common types of sensor drift in drone internal navigation units include:
Zero-offset (bias) drift occurs when sensor readings are inaccurate due to ongoing errors.
Integration drift accumulates over time due to different errors in gyroscope and accelerometer readings.
Scale factor errors due to quick temperature cycling or equipment wear.
Noise-induced drift (random walk) is caused by random interferences and manifests as unpredictable errors.
Without regular recalibrations, INS errors pile up, jeopardizing autonomous flights.
High Power Consumption
More advanced internal navigation units with ring laser gyroscopes are more power-hungry. While FOGs offer higher accuracy, even the most lightweight models consume 1.3 W against an average of 3 mA among MEMS-based systems.
To compensate for INS drift, many companies also combine IMU readings with computer vision systems to deliver greater accuracy. With sensor fusion done on the edge, power consumption goes up massively, impeding UAV flight time.
Using AI to Improve Inertial Navigation Unit Data Processing
INS performance can be massively improved using supervised machine learning and reinforcement learning techniques. Sensor fusion algorithms can compensate for accumulated errors and reduce noise-induced disruptions.
Bavovna developed an AI-powered hybrid navigation kit, featuring a low-SWAP, EMI-shileded onboard unit, and a fine-tuned sensor fusion model, trained for each drone model. The entire system, including our internal navigation unit and AI-powered flight controller, weighs only 1.7lb (800gr), making it compatible with a range of UAV models. The max current consumption is 10A, preventing excessive battery drainage.
Unlike other systems, Bavovna can maintain an ultra-long range, field-tested range of 155 miles (250km) for fully autonomous flights without any GPS reliance. The accuracy rate can be as high as 99.98%, thanks to on-edge, continuous compensation for error rates. With Bavovna hybrid INS, you can fly regular and FPV missions without worrying about signal loss, targeted interferences, or harsh temperatures.
If you’re looking for a reliable drone for tactical, security, mapping, or surveying missions, you’ll need a model with a long-range. The newest fixed-wing VTOLs boast an impressive range of up to 1500 miles and an extended flight time of up to an entire day.
Zero emission hybrid electrical VTOL Integrated hydrogen fuel cell power system Payload capacity of up to 150 kg (330 lbs.) or 1,470 liters / 52 ft 3 Autonomous piloting mode
Electrical, vertical takeoff, fixed-wing UAV Quantum-Skynode autopilot Native compatibility with 5 cameras Portable base station to enable high-precision PPK processing
Electrical, vertical takeoff, fixed-wing UAV Reinforced carbon fiber composite airframe IPX4 water ingress rating 25m/s average cruising speed
Gadfin Spirit-X
Gadfin is one of the top innovators in the long-range fixed-wing drone market. Spirit-X, one of its latest releases, boasts an impressive range of 500 km (311 miles), thanks to a hybrid powertrain, fueled by hydrogen fuel cells. The underbelly box can fit up to 100 kg (220 lb) in cargo or can be used to attach heavy-weight payloads. Foldable low wing, in turn, allows takeoff in landing with limited surface area, making it ideal for urban drone deliveries or rescue missions.
Key characteristics:
150 km/h (93 mph) cruising speed
Fold-out wings and carbon fiber fuselage
Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear
Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) redundancy system
Raybird
Ukrainian startup Skyeton built a compact, but mighty UAS for military, security, and surveillance missions. Assembled in just 25 minutes, Raybird can stay in the air for 28 hours. The digital data link stays strong for up to 120 km (75 miles), although the range can be extended to up to 2500 km (1553 miles). A customizable, hot-swap payload bay can accommodate any camera, SAR, night vision, and laser target designator gear.
Portuguese Tekever produces a great lineup of modular, long-range VTOLs. AR3 is one of its best models because it’s packed to the brim with amazing technologies: a Synthetic Aperture Radar, common GCS with A4, A5, and A3, a recovery parachute, a customizable payload bay, and an optional BVLOS data link to the boot. It’s a marvelous model for a roster of land and sea-based missions.
Key characteristics:
Up to 90 km/h (55mph) speed
4 kg (8.8 lbs) payload capacity
16-hour max flight time
25 kg (55lbs) max takeoff weight
Trinity PRO
Trinity PRO eVTOL from Quantum Systems is a ‘nerdy’ sidekick for long-range mapping missions. Boasting a Quantum-Skynode autopilot and Linux-based mission computer, this UAV can be easily upgraded with extra AI capabilities and downstream payload integrations. A native GNSS module and complementary QBase 3D software make Trinity PRO one of the best long-range drones for land surveying and mapping missions.
Key characteristics:
90min flight time
700ha area coverage
18m/s wind tolerance
5.75 kg (12.7 lbs) max takeoff weight
IP 55 rating
Fly Dragon FDG24
Chinese Fly Dragon produces robust, affordable long-range fixed-wing drones with four rotors for smooth takeoff and landing. It can carry up to 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) in payloads for up to 3.5 hours, making it a great choice for different industrial use cases — building inspection, crop monitoring, site surveying, or emergency mission patrols. A sturdy airframe made of carbon fiber composites and an IPX4 ingress rating guarantee the gear’s long service life.
A thermal drone is great gear for a variety of missions — from surveillance and security patrolling to industrial asset inspection. And there’s been plenty of new model releases over the last year.
But with a sharp price tag, the “cheapest” models start at $6K, so you don’t really want to wing it (pun intended). Learn how to choose the right thermal drone from our quick guide.
Important Thermal Drone Features To Consider
To choose an all-around pleaser, check each option against these criteria:
Thermal Camera Settings
Many Electro-optical (EO)/Infrared (IR) camera payloads for drones are available. Look for systems with a resolution of at least 640 x 512 px for crisp images.
A broad spectral band in the IR sensor is advantageous for better scene recognition and performance under various weather conditions (e.g., fog, rain, snow). Check if you can set custom isotherm ranges manually to further tune your equipment for the use case.
The best thermal imaging drones combine thermal sensors with an RGB camera for an impeccable shooting experience.
Radiometric Functionality
Thermal drones with radiometric features capture precise temperature readings, rather than differences in ranges. This allows you to calculate precise data in measured area (min, max, average °F/ °C), giving a broader read of trends. For example, you can evaluate heat distribution across industrial pipelines to measure thermal efficiency.
Some thermal drones can be auto-programmed to focus on specific temperature ranges for streamlined data collection. For example, you can set a custom range to inspect temp variations in cold storage rooms to detect heat loss.
Gimbal Stabilization
A solid gimbal reduces blur in thermal footage, especially models with gyroscopic stabilization. It also provides extra angular velocity to track fast-moving targets
Most enterprise quadcopters can stay airborne for 30 to 50 minutes, depending on weather and load. Larger fixed-wing and VTOLs like Albatross UAV can cruise for up to 4 hours at 20 m/s (and it can be equipped with a thermal camera payload).
Range matters for covering larger areas. Advanced drone transmission systems can sustain a steady range of up to 6-9 miles (10-15 km).
For extended operating time, you can choose a tethered thermal drone, which can hover for days when connected to a power source. With Bavovna’s AirTower Mode, tethered drones can operate fully autonomously even in GPS-denied environments.
Environmental Durability
The best thermal drones boast exceptionally high endurance, including wind resistance up to 23 knots, IP55 rating against water and dust damage, and built-in redundancies. For safe missions, look for models with redundant properrels, INS components, and motors.
Best Thermal Drones for 2025
Need some recs? Here are the top picks from Bavovna’s team:
Skydio X10. Measuring just 31.1” x 25.6” x 5.7”, Skydio X10 can stay in the air for up to 40 minutes with a max speed of 45mph. The hybrid imaging system combines a narrow 64MP RGB camera, a 48MP telephoto one, and a radiometric thermal camera with 640 x 512 px resolution and under 30mk sensitivity.
Autel EVO Max 4T. With an IP43 rating and an extra pair of hot-swappable batteries, Evo Max 4T is a reliable companion for a range of missions. Equipped with a hybrid RGB/thermal camera, this UAV can muster an impressive temperature Measurement Range of -20°C to 550°C. GPS-denied navigation mode is a great bonus.
Inspired Flight IF1200. IF1200 model from Inspired Flight is sturdy and robust. It can lift up to 19.1 lbs in payloads while staying in the air for 35 to 43 minutes. It’s compatible with the Gremsy VIO F1 thermal camera, featuring a 4K zoom sensor, a 640×512 radiometric sensor, and an integrated 2400m laser rangefinder. Thermal sensitivity range is ≤ 50 mk, giving you crisp imagery under any flight conditions.
