Headwall and Holographix, a Headwall Group company, will be part of the US Pavilion at the Laser World of Photonics in Munich, Tuesday, June 27 - 30, 2023. Come see our custom optical solutions portfolio and capabilities, ranging from custom replicated and master diffraction gratings, microlens arrays, structured diffusers, and other wafer-level micro- and nano-optical solutions.

Payload Integrated Airborne Systems

Payload Systems

We offer payloads that can be integrated onto compatible UAVs and other vehicles such as manned aircraft. Compatible UAVs include: DJI Matrice 600 Pro, FreeFly Alta X, BFD SE8. Our sensors fly onboard manned aircraft such as NASA’s Cessna and Twin Otter aircraft carrying the G-LiHT and Headwall SIF imaging sensor and P-3 Orion carrying sensors for missions over the Arctic.

See what it’s like to fly one of our Hyperspectral UAV systems »
NASA-G-Liht-SIF-Sensor

Nano HP VNIR Turnkey Systems

Next-generation Nano HP systems are designed with ideal Size, Weight, and Power consumption (SWaP) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the Nano HP contains aberration-corrected optics, an internal solid-state drive (SSD), Gigabit Ethernet interface, and offers a choice of lenses. We can deliver an out-of-box solution to you with a choice of GPS/IMU and optional LiDAR.

Nano HP VNIR UAV Datasheet »

Micro-Hyperspec Ext-VNIR Turnkey Systems

Extending the VNIR range to 1700 nm allows additional hyperspectral imaging capability for applications in remote sensing that need a longer reach into the near-infrared region than conventional VNIR (400 to 1000 nm) while retaining some visible-wavelength capability. Due to payload restrictions, this configuration is not available with LiDAR.

Micro-Hyperspec UAV Datasheet

Micro-Hyperspec SWIR 640 Turnkey Systems

Our Micro-Hyperspec SWIR 640 system offers outstanding sensitivity and low power requirements. Due to payload restrictions, this configuration is not available with LiDAR. Check out our Co-Aligned VNIR-SWIR turnkey or payload package with BOTH VNIR and SWIR data capture with closely matched field of views and optional LiDAR.

Micro-Hyperspec UAV Datasheet

Hyperspec Co-Aligned HP VNIR-SWIR Systems

Next-generation Co-Aligned HP VNIR-SWIR systems on a UAV contain co-aligned VNIR and SWIR systems with independent optical and data-acquisition and solid-state storage, as well as a high-performance GPS/IMU package. The field-of-view for each system is closely matched, and LiDAR can also be added. This is our own choice for remote-sensing missions.

Hyperspec Co-Aligned HP VNIR-SWIR UAV Datasheet

The LiDAR Advantage

Aerial LiDAR is useful for forest mapping and crop-health analytics by providing information on plant height and density. Combining hyperspectral and LiDAR provides a more complete picture of how the landscape looks with respect to structure and vegetation types. Headwall’s LiDAR Tools allows creation of high-resolution, high-accuracy Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) crucial for accurate orthorectified images and flying over areas where the topography is subject to periodic change.

LiDAR Systems & Software

GPS/IMU Comparison

A Global Positioning System / Inertial Measurement Unit (GPS/IMU) keeps track of location coordinates while the IMU accounts for the effects of roll, pitch, and yaw. Headwall offers two GPS/IMU instruments available for use on UAVs: Standard (left) and High-Performance (right). The Standard unit is very compact and lightweight, while the High-Performance unit offers increased accuracy.

GPS Standard vs. High-Performance