US-made E400 mapping drone integrates EO/IR camera

Ohio-based drone manufacturer Event 38 says that its latest fixed-wing mapping drone E400 is now available with a gimbaled Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera from NextVision. This new integration makes the E400 apt for time-critical scenarios such as search and rescue, emergency management, and disaster response.

The E400 has been designed specifically for durability and rugged field applications. Instead of foam, it sports a carbon fiber frame, which is typical of military-grade drones. Endurance-wise, the E400 can cruise at 31 knots, cover a straight line distance of 54 miles, and fly in winds up to 23 knots and light rain. All these are capabilities that are highly valued in emergency and public safety use cases, where time is of the essence.

The drone is now integrated with an EO/IR camera, which can capture high-quality visual and thermal imagery and video that can be streamed directly to a ground station. This makes the E400 ideal for surveillance…