Honeywell Aerospace Technologies

Honeywell is a global leader in unmanned aviation technologies, creating innovative capabilities that power the next generation of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones).

Leveraging a century of proven pedigree and experience in the aerospace and defense sectors, we develop state-of-the-art solutions for drone autonomy, propulsion, connectivity, and more.

Capabilities for Small UAS

Our technology is shaping the future of commercial sUAS flight, providing the capabilities required to seamlessly integrate autonomous and BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line Of Sight) drones into national airspaces around the world.

Honeywell has been supporting aviation operators with our global support and fleet management services for a hundred years, and we are highly experienced with the modern certification and regulation issues facing today’s UAV industry pioneers.

We have partnered with a wide range of leading drone companies, working with them to create cutting-edge unmanned aviation solutions. Use cases include:

• Inertial navigation systems for Aeroscout’s high-accuracy mapping and surveying UAVs
• Powering LiDAR USA’s digital mapping drones with our advanced navigation sensors
• Providing NASA with a detect-and-avoid radar for national airspace integration tests
• SATCOM systems for Carbonix’ long-range drone platforms.

Learn more: Capabilities for Small UAS

Capabilities for UAM, Cargo Drones & Large UAVs

We are working to solve challenges and accelerate the development of the heavy-lift drones of the future, enabling applications such as UAM (Urban Air Mobility) and long-range cargo delivery.

Our capabilities include:

• Avionics, fly-by-wire and vehicle management systems certified to the highest safety standards in the industry
• Detect-and-avoid solutions that incorporate traffic avoidance, obstacle detection, terrain mapping, weather imaging and landing guidance
• Heavy-duty electromechanical actuators designed to withstand the unique stresses of low-level urban flight and the vibrations of large multirotor platforms
• Electric and hybrid-electric powertrains that provide the ultimate in safe, clean and quiet unmanned aviation

Learn more: Capabilities for UAM, Cargo Drones & Large UAVs

Drone Hydrogen Fuel Cells

H2 fuel cells for long-range drones

Our proven hydrogen fuel cell technology enables fixed-wing and multirotor drone platforms to fly for up to three times longer, providing a superior energy-to-weight ratio to batteries while producing only water as emissions.

Available in 600-watt and 1200-watt versions, our liquid-cooled H2 fuel cells need no recharging, requiring only simple connection of a carbon fiber hydrogen storage tank. They provide excellent performance at a wide range of temperatures and at high altitudes, and are virtually noise-free.

Honeywell’s drone fuel cells are used around the world in a variety of demanding applications, including ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), search and rescue, law enforcement, and inspection.

Learn more: Drone Fuel Cells

Resilient UAV Navigation Suite

Triple-layered GPS-denied navigation suite for UAVs

The Honeywell Resilient UAV Navigation Suite is a low-SWaP three-layer solution that ensures robust navigation performance for drones and robotics even in GNSS-denied scenarios such as deliberate jamming and urban canyons. Ideal for BVLOS operations, it does not require maps or good visual conditions, and can be easily integrated with Arducopter- and PX4-based autopilots.

Components of the Resilient UAV Navigation Suite include:

Learn more: Resilient UAV Navigation Suite

Compact Fly-By-Wire System

FBW flight control system for UAS & UAM

The Compact Fly-By-Wire system provides an electronic replacement for manual flight controls, and is ideal for unmanned aircraft and UAM platforms requiring the utmost in safety and performance. The lightweight unit offers more flexibility for aircraft designers, as well as fuel savings and reduced maintenance requirements.

Featuring a triple-redundant architecture, the FBW flight control system ensures that control is seamlessly transferred to another channel in the event of any possible failure. Turbulence and wind is automatically adjusted for, providing superior stability and enabling high-precision takeoff and landing.

Learn more: Compact Fly-By-Wire System

VersaWave SATCOM Terminal

UAV SATCOM solution for BVLOS & real-time video streaming

VersaWave is the lightest and most compact SATCOM system on the market. Based on Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband services, it provides always-on BVLOS connectivity for UAVs, UGVs and USVs operating anywhere in the world.

The low-SWaP system enables users to receive real-time streaming video and data from the vehicle’s cameras and payloads. Weighing just 2.2 lbs, it is capable of speeds of up to 200kbps, enabling advanced UAV and unmanned systems missions to be undertaken at unlimited distances from their operators.

Learn more: VersaWave SATCOM Terminal

HGuide MEMS Inertial Sensor Systems

High-performance IMUs and INS for UAVs & robotics

We are the world leader in high-performance IMUs (inertial measurement units) and INS (inertial navigation systems), and our ITAR-free HGuide family of inertial sensors provides a range of options to suit the needs of any drone or robotics application.

Our state-of-the-art inertial sensors provide vibration and motion compensation for robotic vehicles and stabilization for antennas and UAV payloads, and are used to ensure continued navigation capabilities even during GNSS-denied conditions such as in urban canyons and tunnels and under bridges and dense vegetation.

Learn more: HGuide MEMS Inertial Sensors

Civitanavi Systems by Honeywell

Inertial navigation & stabilization systems for UAVs, UGVs & USVs

The Civitanavi Systems portfolio of high-performance inertial sensor solutions offers a range of options for high-performance UAV, UGV and USV requirements. The ITAR-free sensors utilize advanced sensor fusion algorithms and FOG and MEMS technologies to deliver ultra-reliable navigation, positioning and stabilization capabilities even in GNSS-denied environments.

The mission-critical sensors are designed to exacting military-grade standards, including MIL-STD-810F and MIL-STD-461F, and DO-178 and DO-254 for UAV/aerospace systems.

Learn more: Civitanavi Inertial Sensor Solutions

UAV Ground Control Station

Advanced GCS for eVTOL unmanned aircraft

Honeywell has developed a ground control station for eVTOL drones and UAM (urban air mobility platforms) that supports advanced BVLOS operations and integration of drones into civil airspace via services such as UTM (unmanned traffic management) and U-space.

The dual-display GCS enables real-time data exchange with different ATM and UTM systems, and provides a range of critical features including dynamic flight plan updates, ground-based detect-and-avoid, and the ability to automatically divert unmanned aircraft during unexpected situations such as communications link loss or airspace emergencies.

The system has been successfully demonstrated during tests undertaken as part of the EU’s SESAR Joint Undertaking OperA (Operate Anywhere) project consortium and U-ELCOME Digital Sky Demonstration project.

Integrated Counter-UAS

Platform-agnostic counter-drone capabilities for fixed & mobile applications

Honeywell’s Counter-UAS solution combines scalable sensors, AI-powered detection, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors to create a flexible capability that can be mounted on vehicles moving at speeds up to 70 mph or deployed in fixed positions.

Designed to defend against swarms of Group 1 – 3 UAS, including dark drones, the solution offers plug-and-play modularity across detection, tracking, and effect technologies, and can be integrated with Honeywell’s Vindicator security suite.