The term “drone” is pretty broad, technically it includes any unmanned, remotely operated vehicle so there are MANY different types of drone. Most people automatically think of the flying type and use the term interchangeably with UAV (unmanned areal vehicle) but there are also underwater drones. These are more commonly referred to as ROVs (remotely operated vehicles).
In this article I’ll focus on the aerial type, UAVs.
How are drone types classified?
Some of the common classification methods to describe types of drones are:
- Design: The presence or number of motors (propellers)
- Size of the drone
- Weight
- Range and endurance
What are the main types of drones?
The main types of aerial drones are :
- Fixed wing
- Fixed wing hybrid
- Multirotor: Bicopter, quadcopter, hexacopter and octocopter
- VTOL: Vertical take off and landing
- Battle drones
- Racing drones
- Toy drones
- Commercial drones
Below are the classification systems for types of drones from the Geospatial Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems at Penn State University and the Department of Defense.
Type of Drone Classified by Weight
| UAV Catagory | Max Weight | Normal Operating Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | <20 Pounds (9.07kg) | <1200ft AGL (365m) |
| Group 2 | 21-55 Pounds | <3500ft AGL (1066m) |
| Group 3 | <1320 Pounds | <18,000ft MSL (5464m) |
| Group 4 | >1320 Pounds | <18,000ft MSL (5464m) |
| Group 5 | >1320 Pounds (599kg) | >18,000ft MSL (5464m) |
Resource : U.S Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2010-2035
*AGL = Above Ground Level, *MSL = Mean Sea Level
Type of Drone Classified by Size
Below are the types of drone by size according to the Geospatial Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems at Penn State University.
| Classification Type | Size (in any dimension) |
|---|---|
| Very small UAVs (micro drones) | <50cm |
| Small UAVs | 50cm-2m |
| Medium UAVs | 5-10 m |
| Large UAVs | <10m |
Are model aircraft a type of drone?
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, model aircraft are not a type of drone. They have a different set of regulations as outline by the FAA Model Aircraft Guidance (AC 91-57A) .
Types of Multirotor Drone
Multi-rotor drones have more than one motorized propellers (aka rotor). The most common type is a 4 rotor quadcopter. The higher the number of motors a drone has, the greater the payload it can lift. Most six and eight rotor drones are designed to have attachments such as interchangable cameras and pesticide tanks.
Bi-Copter
Bi-coptors are rare, they have just two rotors forming a V shape. Below is the V-Copter by Falcon which was released back in 2019. The benefit of having only 2 rotors is that doesn’t deplete that battery as fast as quadcopters and they creates less noise.
The V-Copter has a flight time of 50 minutes for a single battery. This is really impressive compared to most professional quadcopters which have an average maximum flight time of 30 minutes.
Quadcopter
Quadcopters have 4 motorized propellers, this is the most common type of toy, hobby and professional drone. Having 4 rotors makes the drone more balanced and easier to fly.
Hexacopter
Hexacopters have 6 motorized propellers making them more powerful and robust than quadcopters. The Agras T16 is one example, it’s one of the best agriculture drones for spraying fertilizer and pesticides.
DJI Agras t16 Best agriculture drone for spraying
Octocopter
Octocopters are a popular design in DIY space because of the easier design of the ‘tic-tac-toe’ configuration. This is made with two sets of cross bars (4 cross bars total) making a hash shape with a platform in the middle for attaching the electronics and camera.
8 Rotor drones are able to lift heavier weights and resist strong winds. Below is DJIs older version of a octocopter with the typical 8 arm design. This has been superseded by the Agras T40 which has 4 arms with 2 rotors on each.
Above : DJI Spreading Wings S1000
Fixed Wing Drones
Fixed wing drones have rigid wings rather than propellers. This type of drone glides and can be powered by solar so achieve far greater flight times and distances compared to multirotor type drones.
There are also some hybrid type drones that have both fixed wings and rotors.
Below is the eBee Ag drone which can map 160 hectares in a single flight.
eBee Ag drone by AgEagle (formerly Sensefly)
Toy Drones
Drones under $100 are generally classed as toy drones. They tend to have a short battery life and flight time of 7-15 minutes, often don’t have a camera (or have a low resolution camera) and don’t require syncing with a phone. The controllers are generally smaller and designed to be used by kids.
There is a big range in features for toy drones as they can be designed
for little kids, teenagers or adults who want to learn the basics of
controlling a drone before buying a more expensive model. In the Best Drones for Kids
drones I go through my recommended models for each age brackets,
including some interesting models that incorporate learning to code for
older kids.
Above : UFO toy drone with motion sensor for obstacle detection
Toy and hobby type drones don’t usually have obstacle avoidance, one exception is the UFO drone. This has a single sensor on the rotating cage which detects large objects like walls. This is of course a fun, reactive feature rather than true protective obstacle avoidance because this single sensor can only detect objects in one direction at any time, and that direction is constantly changing. This would be better described as obstacle detection than obstacle avoidance.
Hobby Drones
Hobby type drones range from $100 to $300, they’re an imitation of professional drones with lower quality, more affordable features. The camera on a hobby drone can range from 1080p to 4k and don’t perform as well in challenging environments such as low light photography or wind which destabilizes the drone.
They usually have a 2 axial gimbal rather than 3 and incorporate electronic image stabilization to reduce blur in photos.
The maximum flight time on hobby drones tends to be around 20 minutes in test flight condition, one exception is the Ruko F11 Mini. In the best drones under $300 review, Ruko F11 Mini has the longest flight time with 30 minutes per battery. There are also drones under $200 with a long flight time but compromise in other areas.
Competition (Battle & Racing) Drones
Drones designed to compete by battling other UAVs or racing through an obstacle course come at a big range in price. Drone racers often customize or build a drone from scratch to get a competitive advantage. If you’re looking at buying a battle drone, make sure it has a life indicator. This keeps track of how many impacts it’s had from a competing drone or the number of times it’s been struck by a laser eg.Star Wars Battle Drones.
Racing type drones are built to be agile and highly responsive so require a high level of skill to fly. If buying a racing drone, staring with a ,model that has robust built in propeller guards like the DJI Avatar is a good place to start. The drone needs to withstand collisions with objects in obstacle courses and walls if flown indoors.
Professional Drones
Professional drones easily cost upwards of $1000. They are different to hobby drones in that they have a high quality camera, flight time of 25-30 minutes in test conditions and obstacle avoidance in the low to mid-tier professional type drones.
Below is a diagram of the obstacle avoidance coverage on the Mini 3 Pro. This drone packs professional type features into a sub 250g mini drone.
The best professional type drone for photography available at the moment is the DJI Mavic 3 which was released in November 2022. One if the features that make this drone the best for professional photography is the 4/3″ sensor which captures amazing low light images.
Commercial Drones
The cheapest commercial drones start at around $2000 and easily go up to the 10’s of thousands of dollars. Interchangeable attachments (payloads) and industry specific features such as thermal cameras, spotlights and speakers are what makes commercial drones different to professional type drones. Commercial drones are engineered for agriculture, search and rescue, construction, 3D mapping, surveying and many other uses.
For more information on commercial drones check out:
- Thermal Drones: The Best Drone with a Thermal Camera [2023]
- Drone Mapping Explained: A Simple Breakdown for Beginners
- Surveillance Drones
- Drones in Search and Rescue
- Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced v Dual v Zoom
