What Are the Common Types of Drones?

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, chances are, it’s a drone. There are more than 1.7 million drones currently registered in the United States.

Some of these UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are used by the military, others by large corporations, and of course, many are flown by hobbyists.

With so many drones zipping around above us, we’ve put together this handy guide on the different types of drones to help you keep an educated eye on the sky.

Aerial Platform

One of the most common ways to classify drones is by the number and type of propellers or rotors they have.

Multi-rotor drones are the most common type of UAVs. As the name suggests, they have multiple rotors placed at strategic points around the drone’s frame. Tricopters, Quadcopters, Hexacopters, and Octocopters are all included in this category.

Single-rotor drones, on the other hand, look like helicopters and have one large rotor on the top of the body.

Fixed-wing drones resemble airplanes. They can travel long distances but, because of a lack of downward thrust, they aren’t able to hover. To solve this problem, fixed-wing hybrid drones feature additional rotors that help to combine the gliding power of fixed wings with the hovering capabilities of other drones.

Drones by Size

Micro Drones are used by various militaries to scout out locations and gain intelligence. These tiny machines can be as small as a large insect and weigh less than 250g.

Mini and small drones are the most common kinds of drones used by hobbyists. If you want to learn how to fly a drone, start with one of these. They are easy to find, relatively cheap, and fairly simple to fly.

If you crash your small drone, don’t worry, Dr Drone will save the day. Their team of skilled engineers will have you back in the air in no time!

Large drones can be as big as a small aircraft and are largely used by the military. These military UAVs and UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles) feature the latest, state-of-the-art technology. There are various types of large military drones such as reconnaissance drones, target, and strike drones, decoy drones, and search and rescue drones.

Some drones are built to perform specific

Specialty Drones

 functions. GPS drones link up to satellites to guide their flights. This helps to map out large, inaccessible areas of land.

Photography drones have increased stability and contain powerful cameras. They also feature autonomous flight modes, allowing you to focus on taking photos while flying a drone.

Racing drones are lightweight and built for speed, reaching up to 60 miles per hour. This immense speed and agility take a toll though, and as a result, racing drones have very short battery lives.

Underwater drones can be used to map out cave systems or for search and rescue missions. There are even fishing drones that allow you to access fish in deep water or hard-to-reach locations.

Drones can even save lives. Firefighting drones feature thermal imaging to identify hot spots and infrared cameras to help locate trapped people. They are also capable of carrying large amounts of firefighting foam and other extinguishers.

Did You Know There Were This Many Types of Drones?

We could drone on and on about these glorious machines. From photography to fishing, and military surveillance, there are different types of drones for every occasion.

So, now that you know all about the various kind of UAVs, which model will you try to get your hands on first?

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