Drone Testing Equipment & Facilities

Avionics Testing for Drones and UAS

UAS (unmanned aerial systems) and drone testing may encompass a variety of different methods and processes, and may be used to ensure that new drone systems and subsystems operate as intended before production, as well as to obtain safety or operational certifications or to meet standards such as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) FAR Part 35 for airworthiness.

Propeller Testing

Series 1585 quadcopter test stand by Tyto Robotics

Drone propeller testing can involve structural tests such as bending and loading, to ensure that the propeller can withstand the forces applied to it during flight. Propellers may also undergo testing on dedicated test stands that allow thrust and efficiency to be measured. These test stands may allow pitch and RPM to be varied to characterize the response under different conditions.

Drone Motor Testing

Test stands can also be used for drone motor testing, and allow developers to find the most efficient combination of motor and propeller for a particular UAS platform or application. They may support a variety of configurations including single-motor, back-to-back and face-to-face coaxial designs. Test stand load cells may be optimized to measure specific ranges of thrust and torque.

Wind Tunnel Testing

Windshapers for aircraft wind tunnel testing by Tyto Robotics

Wind tunnel testing can also be used to test motors and propellers, flight surfaces, or entire drones. Wind tunnels can be programmed to simulate a variety of real-world weather conditions such as gusts and turbulence, and can be used to test and characterize takeoff and landing phases, multirotor and fixed-wing free flight profiles, and more. Wind tunnel alternatives that use blocks of individually-controllable fans are also available, and can be custom-built to specific laboratory or testing facility requirements.

Centers & Facilities

Testing facilities may also be developed for drone avionics. These facilities may be designed to replicate actual drone ground control stations or other elements of hardware, allowing testing of fly-by-wire controls and other UAV avionics. Hardware-in-the-loop simulation may be used to integrate real-time avionics hardware with high-fidelity virtual environments, enabling comprehensive system validation under simulated flight conditions. They may also include realistic 3D simulations that allow drones to be tested close to real-world conditions.