Aeromapper Releases the Talon Amphibious UAV for Long-Range Maritime Operations
The Aeromapper Talon Amphibious by Aeromao is the world’s first fixed-wing drone for commercial maritime operations that can belly land on water or parachute down.
With its dual cameras and 20km video link, it’s the perfect solution for observation, data collection and mapping.
Talon Amphibious
There are very few Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or drones that safely land on water. Thus the Talon Amphibious, with its watertight design, is a welcome solution for all UAV maritime and freshwater applications. Even better, this amphibious unit is affordable and multi-functional. Plus, true to its fixed-wing design, it offers extended flight time, substantial payload capacity, and extensive range.
The UAV is simple to retrieve from the water using a small boat. Or, the operator can land on a beach. With a cruise speed of 60kph, +30km communication range and 2-hour flight endurance, it easily covers vast areas. As such, it saves both money and time. Plus, its internal GPS beacon makes locating and retrieving the UAV easy.
The Talon Amphibious is quick to assemble and deploys by hand-launch from the shore or from a maritime vessel without disruption to the GPS system.
Its waterproofed fuselage and internal marine-grade components that resist saltwater corrosion, make the Talon Amphibious system uniquely suited to life on the water.
There are a range of customization options available for the Talon.
Tried and Tested
The Talon Amphibious underwent extensive testing in some of the most challenging marine conditions.
Original design inspiration for the UAV came from marine ecologist and field biologists. Their work conditions include maritime vessels and remote island locations. And though these locations may appear idyllic, they present many logistical problems and constraints when it comes to gathering data. Scientists needed a UAV which could endure harsh environments such as rain, wind and waves.
The Talon successfully completed operations in the British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT) as part of a scientific expedition led by the Zoological Society of London. This is the first time that a fixed-wing amphibious UAV was used in the UK Overseas Territories. The applications of a water landing unit in marine ecological surveys, fisheries management and maritime surveillance are vast.
In addition, an MSc student from Imperial College London piloted and tested the amphibious UAV. He described the unit as: “An incredible tool for gathering vast amounts of ecological and habitat data, safe in the knowledge that we can easily land anywhere near the main vessel or on the ocean. In the tropics, rain clouds can often hit out of nowhere, and with this amphibious UAV, we no longer have to worry about rain water leaking in, either.”
Over 25,000 images were collected during the ecological surveys and the scientists were able to analyse the images to calculate the abundances of sharks and birds. Their camera of choice was the Garmin VIRB which allowed for geotagging of each image.
The Talon Amphibious is garnering plenty of interest in the research world. Scientists and managers from around the world are looking to implement this maritime solution into their coastal project operations.
