Choose a LiDAR drone.
Start with the whole mission.

A useful comparison starts with the same payload, battery, flight profile and landing reserve. Then look at the sensor interfaces, field setup and the data you need to deliver. This guide uses the current Patriot and Kestrel figures so you can see exactly what is included.

1. Calculate the complete payload budget

Add the sensor, mount, cables and accessories. Then add battery mass and the airframe. The total must stay within the aircraft’s maximum take-off mass as well as its payload limit.

Patriot has a 9.21 kg airframe and 21 kg maximum take-off mass. Kestrel has an 11.45 kg airframe and 25 kg maximum take-off mass. These airframe weights exclude the battery and payload.

Calculated as maximum take-off mass minus the stated airframe and battery masses. All equipment not included in those masses consumes the remaining allowance. These values are mass limits, not promises of endurance or sensor compatibility; separate payload ceilings are 8 kg for Patriot and 10 kg for Kestrel.

2. Compare the conditions behind flight time

Patriot’s measured reference: 68 minutes in hover with a 1.75 kg payload and a 40 Ah battery, ending at landing voltage. This is a manufacturer-reported result. The payload mass is equivalent to a LiDAR USA scanning system; it was not identified as a particular powered scanner. Read the test summary and its limitations.

The flight-time calculator estimates cruise / mission minutes and already excludes a fixed 10-minute reserve. Do not subtract that reserve a second time. Estimates and the measured hover result use different profiles and endpoints.

The available 52 Ah battery has 30% more nominal capacity than 40 Ah and adds 0.5 kg. That does not establish a 30% flight-time increase. Measured 52 Ah endurance is not yet published.

At a 1.75 kg payload, Kestrel’s modelled mission time is 42 minutes with 40 Ah and 55 minutes with 52 Ah, excluding the same 10-minute reserve. Validate your complete configuration before using estimates for operational planning.

Questions to ask any aircraft supplier

• Was the flight time measured or modelled?
• What was the complete payload, and was the sensor powered?
• Which battery, flight profile and environmental conditions were used?
• Was the flight to landing voltage, or was a reserve left?
• Can the configuration, test record and limitations be reviewed?

3. Consider transport, assembly and field spares

Patriot X4 and Kestrel X8 use the same central airframe. Patriot arms carry one motor per arm; Kestrel arms use a coaxial configuration to create an X8. Swapping the arm sets changes the aircraft configuration.

The arms and landing legs detach without tools as part of normal assembly and packing. Arm removal takes only a few minutes, helping the aircraft pack into a compact transport configuration. A spare arm and clockwise and counter-clockwise propellers can provide replacement components in the field.

Confirm the correct setup and checks for each arm configuration with Evolution Flight. Compare the current range or use the customer portal for support.

4. Check the sensor and data workflow

Weight alone does not establish compatibility. Review mounting points, centre of gravity, clearance, vibration isolation, supply voltage, peak power demand, data connections and positioning. Then define capture parameters, processing and independent quality checks.

Explore LiDAR survey planning, camera and mapping workflows, or custom payload integration. For procurement requirements, request the information for your exact configuration through our aircraft and component compliance page.

5. Look for relevant engineering history

Our archive records earlier aircraft and integration work. The Klau Brumby installation on ScanLift Orbit and RIEGL VUX-160 testing with ScanLift Orbit show that history. Orbit, ScanLift and Galaxy are legacy models; those articles do not establish compatibility or performance for today’s Patriot or Kestrel.

Prepare your mission brief

• Application, site area, terrain and access constraints.
• Sensor model, installed mass, dimensions and centre of gravity.
• Power, data and positioning requirements.
• Required outputs, resolution, accuracy and quality checks.
• Flight profile, conditions, reserve and target endurance.
• Transport requirements, field spares and purchase timeline.

Bring this information to a configuration discussion so we can review the aircraft, sensor and workflow together.

Prepared by Evolution Flight. Current-range information reviewed 23 October 2026. Flight-time estimates are planning aids; confirm the final specification and operating limits for your aircraft.