BVLOS Solutions Suite Seeks To Improve How UAVs Navigate 

Honeywell’s Beyond Visual Line of Sight systems are ideal to equip drones for missions where there is likely to be interference. Applications can include last-mile package delivery, military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, pipeline and power line inspection, search and rescue, or use by first responders.

“These are technologies that businesses have been waiting for,” said Stéphane Fymat, vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and Urban Air Mobility business unit. “They will help make drones profitable for a world of new applications.”

The BVLOS suite comprises:

• Honeywell’s 600-watt and 1200-watt hydrogen fuel cells
• Honeywell’s RDR-84K multipurpose radar
• Honeywell’s inertial measurement units (IMUs)
• Honeywell’s UAV SATCOM - the world’s smallest and lightest satellite transceiver

According to the company, the fuel cells in the BVLOS suite operate three times longer than batteries with equivalent output and work silently. Refueling or swapping hydrogen tanks can be done swiftly, enabling more time in the air. Honeywell’s RDR-84K is a phased-array radar that steers beams electronically, meaning it has no moving parts and requires minimal maintenance. It also requires no heavy cooling systems.

In addition to avoiding other aircraft, the radar can detect obstacles, map terrain, and identify landing zones.

Honeywell’s UAV Satcom (pictured) and IMUs are available now.

“These innovations give drone builders and operators a whole new range of options,” said Sapan Shah, product manager for Honeywell’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and Urban Air Mobility business unit. “More time in the air, more awareness of surroundings and traffic, better connectivity: These are the building blocks of safe, profitable drone operations of all kinds, and that’s what we’re delivering.”

FMI: www.honeywell.com