VTOL drones are a fairly new implementation in the drone market and are becoming a popular flight mode.
Many new companies and institutions are beginning to experiment with this technology and are even finding commercial success in their endeavors.
This brings us to the question at hand:
What are vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones? (+hybrid variants)
VTOL drones are vehicles that can take off and land vertically. The most common type of VTOL drone uses the helicopter design. However, there are multiple hybrid VTOL variations such as the quadplane or the tailsitter designs. They can be propelled using gasoline, solar energy, lithium batteries that fuel motors or engines.
- How Do VTOL Drones Work?
- What Types Of VTOL Drones Are There?
- How Much Do VTOL Drones Cost?
- What Sizes Are VTOL Drones?
- How Long Can VTOL Drones Fly For (Flight Times)?
- What Materials Are VTOL Drones Made Of?
- How Fast Are VTOL Drones?
- How Much Can VTOL Drones Carry (Payload Capacity)?
- VTOL Drone Use Cases
- Advantages Of VTOL Drones
- VTOL drones are more maneuverable than fixed-wing drones
- Hybrid VTOL drones are more fuel-efficient than regular helicopter drones
- Hybrid VTOL drones can transition into and utilize several flight modes
- VTOL drones require less area to takeoff and land than fixed-wing drones
- VTOL drones take less time to deploy
- Disadvantages Of VTOL Drones
- Transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight mode is dangerous for hybrid VTOL drones
- VTOL drones are more vulnerable to wind in vertical flight modes
- VTOL drones are often very expensive and complex
- VTOL drones have lower payload capacities and lower endurance than fixed-wing drones
- VTOL drones are fragile
- What Are Some Examples Of VTOL Drones?
- Who Are Some Of The Top VTOL Drone Manufacturers?
- Conclusion
How Do VTOL Drones Work?
VTOL drones work in multiple ways depending on the design, the mode of flight, and the propulsion system.
It’s also important to note that drones that were built for specific applications and target markets are going to vary in features and quality.
These markets are usually separated into several categories. These include consumer, commercial, institutional and government (military…) markets.
If you’d like to learn all about consumer drones, we have a full post on this topic below:
Related Post: What Are Consumer Drones? [Types, Uses, Sizes, Materials And Much More]
These methods of taking off vary depending on the flight modes that some VTOL drones can utilize such as CTOL (conventional take-off and landing), STOL (short take-off and landing), or STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing).
This will also depend on the type of design the VTOL drone has such as powered lift or rotorcraft designs.
Some VTOL drones even take off with the nose of the aircraft facing up.
VTOL drones also use various methods of propelling themselves such as the use of gasoline, solar energy, lithium batteries, or hydrogen fuel cells.
Some drones even use two of these power sources.
We recommend you go check out our post on whether or not it’s worth buying a drone where we discuss drone laws, why owning a drone may and may not be worth it, drone accessories, countries that have banned drones altogether and much more:
Related Post: Is Owning A Drone Really Worth It? Important Things To Consider For Hobbyists And Professionals
Take note that VTOL drones that combine two different elements (wings with vertical rotors) are commonly referred to as hybrid VTOL drones.
We explore each of the above things below in much more detail.
What Types Of VTOL Drones Are There?
The term VTOL covers a large category of drones according to several features such as how they look, how they function, and what they use to propel themselves.
Here are the different types of VTOL drones according to their:
- Flight modes
- Design
- Propulsion method
Types of VTOL drones according to flight modes
Different aircraft can take off in different ways. These various ways of taking off are called flight modes.
Some VTOL aircraft can use multiple flight modes.
These flight modes include:
- Conventional take-off and landing (CTOL)
- Short take-off and landing (STOL)
- Vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL)
- Short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)
- Vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL)
Conventional take-off and landing (CTOL)/Horizontal take-off and landing (HTOL) aircraft
CTOL aircraft refers to aircraft that take off using conventional methods such as using full runways.
This mode of flight is also referred to as Horizontal take-off and landing (HTOL).
These include aircraft such as normal fixed-wing and hybrid VTOL aircraft that are capable of doing so.
Convertiplane, Tiltjet, Autogyro, Gyrodyne, and Cyclogyro aircraft are all capable of CTOL/HTOL.
Short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft
STOL aircraft are similar to CTOL aircraft, however, they require a much shorter runway to take-off and land.
STOL mode of flight is most often seen on runways that are limited in space such as in remote areas that do not have enough space for a long runway.
This also includes military aircraft that take off from short runways such as aircraft carriers that are also limited on runway space.
Multi-rotor fixed-wing/Quadplane, Tiltrotor, Tiltwing, Tilted ducted fan, Tiltjet, Autogyro, Gyrodyne, and Cyclogyro aircraft are all capable of STOL.
Vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft
V/STOL aircraft are capable of taking off and landing both vertically and from short runways.
These aircraft differ from regular VTOL aircraft as they are capable of using conventional methods of taking off such as using long or short runways.
Multi-rotor fixed-wing/Quadplane, Tiltrotor, Tiltwing, Tilted ducted fan and Tiltjet aircraft all have V/STOL capabilities.
Short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft
STOVL aircraft take off using short runways and land vertically.
These vehicles can take off vertically but usually do not do so as they won’t be able to carry as heavy a payload.
They differ from V/STOL aircraft as V/STOL aircraft can always take-off either vertically or from short runways whereas only some STOVL aircraft can do this.
A Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of clearing a 15 m (50 ft) obstacle within 450 m (1,500 ft) of commencing take-off run, and capable of landing vertically.
Source
STOVL aircraft are most commonly associated with Tiltjet aircraft which only require short runways to take-off from and most often land vertically.
Vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) aircraft
VTVL aircraft are aircraft that take off and land vertically. They differ from VTOL aircraft as they can only be rocket-powered.
These aircraft primarily refer to rocket-powered aircraft such as rockets and ballistic missiles that are either controlled remotely or are manned.
Types of VTOL drones according to design
It’s important to understand what types of VTOL drones there are today to grasp the number of drones that are considered to have VTOL capabilities.
Here are the 2 types of VTOL drones according to design:
- Powered lift drones
- Rotorcraft drones
Powered lift drones
We’ll only briefly dive into some of the powered lift aircraft as not all drones use these designs or propulsion systems.
Powered lift is most often found being used in manned aircraft. However, unmanned vehicles have adopted some of these designs.
Here are 3 different types of powered lift aircraft:
- Convertiplane aircraft
- Tail-sitter drones
- Thrust vector control (TVC) aircraft
Convertiplane aircraft
Convertiplane aircraft refer primarily to manned VTOL aircraft with wings (hybrid VTOL).
Proprotors are rotating airfoils that act as both propeller blades and airplane wings to generate lift for the aircraft.
Tiltrotor, Tiltwing, and Tilting ducted fan aircraft use proprotors to function.
Only some multi-rotor fixed-wing/Quadplanes use proprotors while other use separate propulsion methods for vertical and horizontal flight.
There are 4 primary types of convertiplane aircraft. These include:
- Multi-rotor fixed-wing/Quadplane drones
- Tiltrotor aircraft
- Tiltwing aircraft
- Tilting ducted fan aircraft
Multi-rotor fixed-wing or Quadplane drones can take off both vertically and horizontally. They are referred to as hybrid VTOL drones.
These aircraft resemble fixed-wing drones as they have wings like an airplane but have either additional arms or simply more areas which hold propeller blades for them to take off vertically.
These drones can use vertical take-off and landing (VTOL).
However, some can use conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), short take-off and landing (STOL), and short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL). (More on this below)
If you’d like to learn more on the different types of drones including the types according to design, payload, range, power source, and use cases including some examples of both consumer, commercial and military drones, then check out our full post below:
Related Post: What Types Of Drones Are There? Every Type Of Drone Explained In Detail
Tiltrotor aircraft have the ability to take off vertically due to a mechanism allowing their propellers which are attached to each rotor to position themselves vertically during takeoff and landing and horizontally when transitioning into forward wing-born flight.
These rotating propellers are attached at the end of two fixed wings meaning they are referred to as hybrid VTOL drones.
They can also take off using conventional methods such as using a short or long runway.
These aircraft can use VTOL, CTOL, STOL, and STOVL flight modes.
Some quadplanes also use tiltrotor systems to transition into forward flight.
Tiltwing aircraft can take off vertically due to their ability to tilt their wings which have rotors attached to them and transition into forward wing-born flight by tilting the wings horizontally during flight.
These hybrid VTOL aircraft can also take off using conventional methods such as using a short or long runway.
They can also utilize VTOL, CTOL, STOL, and STOVL flight modes.
Tilting ducted fan aircraft work in the same way as tiltrotor aircraft but utilize ducted fans as a means of propulsion.
Tail-sitter drones
Tail-sitter drones can only take off vertically as they are positioned similar to a rocket sitting on it’s the tail.
These aircraft often use proprotors or rocket engines as a means of propulsion.
These hybrid VTOL drones take off vertically and then rotate using the same rotors they use to take off, hover, and fly forward during flight until they reach a horizontal position and continue flying horizontally until they land vertically once again.
This mode is called vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). If the aircraft is rocket-powered then this would be called vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL).
Tail-sitter aircraft can either be powered using rockets, propellers, or other means of propulsion.
Thrust vector control (TVC) aircraft
Thrust vector control is the ability for an aircraft to manipulate the direction of thrust generated from its rocket or jet engines to propel itself vertically, horizontally, or simply to hover in place.
TVC is not only used in aircraft but is also used in things such as missiles to change their directions.
A Tiltjet aircraft is a jet-propelled vehicle that uses TVC. However, this aircraft does not use any rocket engines and only uses jet engines.
Tiltjet aircraft are currently only used in manned aircraft.
These aircraft are very similar to tiltrotor aircraft except they use turbojet engines instead of propellers to propel themselves.
Rotorcraft aircraft
Rotorcraft aircraft use propellers attached to motors to propel themselves.
These aircraft are capable of reaching areas that fixed-wing aircraft cannot reach which makes them very useful and efficient in situations that require quick response times.
Here are 4 types of rotorcraft aircraft:
- Single Rotor helicopters
- Autogyro/Gyroplanes/Gyrocopters
- Gyrodyne/compound helicopters/compound gyroplanes
- Cyclogyro/cyclocopter
Single Rotor helicopters
Single rotor helicopters, or just helicopters, are VTOL aircraft that are capable of flying forward, backward, vertically, and laterally.
These aircraft are capable of hovering in place for extended periods of time and can take off and land in difficult areas that would be impossible for conventional fixed-wing aircraft to take off and land from.
Take note that single rotor helicopters have one main rotor and a small rotor at the tail of the aircraft.
These aircraft are only capable of VTOL. They can either be manned or remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
We have a full post that explains what the differences are between drones, UAVs, and UAS:
Related Post: What Is The Difference Between A Drone, UAV And UAS [Definitions, Differences In Cost, Examples, And Acronyms]
Autogyro/Gyroplanes/Gyrocopters
Autogyro aircraft, often referred to as Gyroplanes or Gyrocopters, use an unpowered rotor that spins in free autorotation from airflow as well as a conventional power source (usually in the form of an engine-powered propeller) to create forward thrust.
These aircraft are not all capable of VTOL. They are all capable of CTOL and STOL.
They also cannot all hover in place. These aircraft resemble single rotor helicopters. However, their main rotors are not powered like conventional helicopters.
Gyrodyne/compound helicopters/compound gyroplanes
Gyrodyne aircraft, often referred to as Compound helicopters/gyrocopters, use a powered main rotor (helicopter system) only for take-off and landing, and a separate power source such as a jet engine or propellers powered by motors to provide forward thrust.
These hybrid VTOL aircraft may also have stubbed wings for added lift. Once the aircraft has taken off, it relies solely on the system providing forward thrust while the unpowered main rotor spins in free autorotation.
We highly recommend you check out our full detailed post on drone propellers including the different types, how they work, their different sizes and pitch, materials, how to choose them, and much more.
Related Post: Drone Propellers Explained: Detailed Beginner’s Guide To Drone Anatomy
These aircraft have VTOL, STOL, and CTOL capabilities.
Cyclogyro/ Cyclocopter
Cyclogyro aircraft, often referred to as Cyclocopters, use Cyclorotors positioned on a horizontal axis that spins giving the aircraft the benefits of both fixed-wing and single rotor aircraft.
These Cyclorotors provide lift and propulsion for the aircraft.
This configuration is only present in manned aircraft and has not been used in drones yet.
These aircraft have VTOL, STOL, and CTOL capabilities.
Types of VTOL drones according to propulsion method
VTOL drones can propel themselves using three primary methods.
These VTOL drone propulsion methods include:
- Propulsion by motor
- Propulsion by engine
- Propulsion by hybrid engine
Propulsion by motor
There are several types of motors such as:
- Battery-powered motors
- Solar-powered motors
- Hybrid motors
There are multiple types of power sources that fuel battery-powered motors such as lithium-polymer (Li-Po) or lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells, hydrogen fuel cells and Nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) cells.
Solar-powered motors use solar energy to power themselves without the need for a battery.
Hybrid motors are motors that can use multiple types of energy as fuel. These are most commonly electrically powered with the addition of fossil fuels.
Propulsion by engine
There are several types of engines such as:
- Gas/combustion turbine engines
- Piston/reciprocating engines
- Rotary engines
Gas turbine/combustion turbine engines (jet propulsion) use the pressure from the exploding fuel to turn a turbine and produce thrust. These engines include turbofan, turbojet, turboprop and turboshaft engines.
Piston/reciprocating engines convert pressure into a rotating motion using pistons.
Rotary engines include engines such as the Wankel, gasoline and diesel engines. The rotor inside the engine moves from one chamber to another, expanding and contracting gas.
Propulsion by hybrid engine
Hybrid engines usually use gas and electricity. These engines either use diesel or gasoline with an electric motor that is powered using a battery.
How Much Do VTOL Drones Cost?
We’ve split their costs into two categories:
- Consumer VTOL drone prices
- Professional VTOL drone prices
We split the two up into two separate categories as consumer VTOL drones are often built at much smaller scales compared to professional VTOL drones and therefore have fewer components which will in most cases reduce their prices.
Consumer VTOL Drone Prices
Consumer VTOL drone costs range from $10 to over $2,000.
Check out our post on cheap vs expensive drones where we go into how good cheap and expensive drones are, how hard they are to fly, how long they can fly for, and the main differences between the two:
Related Post: Cheap VS Expensive Drones – Everything A Beginner Drone Pilot Should Know
Here is a table showing some examples of consumer VTOL drones with their prices:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Price |
| H111 NANO Q4 | Hubsan | $18,99 |
| Ryze Tello | Ryze Tech/DJI | $99 |
| Mini 2 | DJI | $449 |
| Anafi | Parrot | $699 |
| Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 | DJI | $2,049 |
Professional VTOL Drone Prices
Professional VTOL drone costs range from $2,500 to several million dollars.
Here is a table showing some examples of professional VTOL drones with their prices:
Take note that we’re grouping up commercial and government drones as professional drones in the same category for this entire article.
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Price |
| H520E | Yuneec | €2,378.81 (~$2,787.37) |
| SkyProwler 2 | Krossblade | $2,999 |
| Matrice 300 RTK | DJI | $13,200 (No payload) |
| WingtraOne | Wingtra | $19,600 |
| Camcopter S-100 | Schiebel | $2 million |
What Sizes Are VTOL Drones?
Below we’ve split this up into two separate categories:
- Consumer VTOL drone sizes
- Professional VTOL drone sizes
We felt it necessary to split the two up into two categories as consumer VTOL drones are often built at much smaller scales compared to professional VTOL drones.
VTOL drone sizes include things such as weight and various other measurements such as the length, width, and height of the drone.
Consumer VTOL Drone Sizes
Consumer VTOL drone sizes range from 3.8cm to over 83cm in length and 3.8cm to over 50cm in width. Their weights range from 11.5g to over 1.4kg.
We have a full post on drone sizing where we go into not only the various sizes drones come in, but also whether the size of a drone matters, consumer, commercial, and military drone sizes, how to measure the frame size of a drone, and much more:
Related Post: Drone Sizes Explained: Consumer, Commercial And Military Drone Sizes
Here is a table showing some examples of consumer VTOL drones with their dimensions and weights:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Dimensions | Weight |
| H111 NANO Q4 | Hubsan | 3.8*3.8cm (1.5*1.5in) | 11.5g (0.4oz) |
| Ryze Tello | Ryze Tech/DJI | 9.8*9.3*4.1cm (3.9*3.6*1.6in) | 80g (2.8oz) |
| Mini 2 | DJI | 24.5*28.9*5.6cm (9.6*11.4*2.2in) | 242g (8.5oz) |
| X-Star Premium | Autel Robotics | 49.5*49.5*21.6cm (19.5*19.5*8.5in) | 830g (1.8lbs) |
| X PlusOne | Xcraft | 82.55*48.26*35.56cm (32.5*19*14in) | 1.3kg (2.9lbs) |
Professional VTOL Drone Sizes
Professional VTOL drone sizes range from 28cm (11in) to over 730cm (287.4in) in length and 35cm (14in) to over 850cm (335in) in width. Their weights range from 500g (1.1lbs) to over 1500kg (3307lbs).
If you’d like to find out whether you can fly your drone indoors, whether you have a drone made to be used indoors, the reasons why you may want to do so, whether it’s legal, the different types of indoor drones, and much more, then check out our detailed post below:
Related Post: Indoor Drone Flying: Everything You Need To Know
Here is a table showing some examples of professional VTOL drones with their dimensions and weights:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Dimensions (L*W*H) | Weight |
| Anafi USA | Parrot | 28.2*37.3*8.4cm (11.10*14.69*3.30in) | 499g (1lbs) |
| Inspire 2 | DJI | 42.7*31.7*42.5cm (16.8*12.5*16.7in) | 3.44kg (7.58lbs) |
| PD-2 (VTOL Config) | Ukrspecsystems | 285*500*102cm (112.2*197*40.2in) | 55kg (121.3lbs) |
| Camcopter S-100 | Schiebel | 311*124*112cm (122.4*48.8*44.1in) | 110kg (243lbs) |
| MQ-8B Fire Scout | Northrop Grumman | 730*840*290cm (287.4*330.7*114.2in) | 1428.8kg (3150lbs) |
How Long Can VTOL Drones Fly For (Flight Times)?
Consumer VTOL drone flight times range from 5 minutes for cheap models up to an hour for more complex vehicles. Professional VTOL drone flight times range from 30 minutes to 8 hours and up.
We recommend checking out our full post on how long drone batteries last where we dive into the average flight times for both consumer and commercial drones, including the average drone battery life expectancies, the types of drone batteries, why drones have short flight times, how to increase both and more:
Related Post: How Long Does A Drone Battery Last? Battery Life Expectancy + Flight Times
Below is a table showing some examples of consumer and professional VTOL drones and their flight times:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Target Market | Flight Time |
| H111 NANO Q4 | Hubsan | Consumer | 5 minutes |
| SkyProwler 2 | Krossblade | Consumer | ~55minutes |
| US1 | Vayu Aerospace | Consumer | 2 hours (No payload) |
| Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced | DJI | Professional | 31 minutes |
| Dragonfish | Autel Robotics | Professional | 2 hours |
| MQ-8B Fire Scout | Northrop Grumman | Professional | 8 hours |
What Materials Are VTOL Drones Made Of?
VTOL drones are made of various materials such as fiberglass, titanium and magnesium alloys, carbon fiber composites, thermoplastics such as expanded polyolefin (EPO) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and foams such as durable elapor foam.
We have a full post that goes into detail about the materials commonly used in all types of drones today and each of their components below (including some examples):
Related Post: What Are Drones Made Of? Detailed Guide To Drone Anatomy [Consumer+Commercial]
Below is a table showing some examples of consumer and professional VTOL drones and their materials:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Target Market | Material |
| X PlusOne | Xcraft | Consumer | Expanded Polyolefin (EPO) |
| Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 | DJI | Consumer/Commercial | Titanium+magnesium alloy |
| DeltaQuad Pro | DeltaQuad | Professional | Expanded Polyolefin (EPO) |
| Trinity F90+ | Quantum Systems | Professional | Durable Elapor Foam+Carbon Fiber Structure |
| SkyProwler 2 | Krossblade | Professional | Carbon Fiber+7075-T6 aluminum+light weight foam+ABS |
How Fast Are VTOL Drones?
VTOL drones vary in speed ranging from a slow 5km/h (3.1mph) to a much higher 350km/h (217.5mph) and up.
If you’d like to learn more on how fast drones can go, or you’d like to discover what the world’s current fastest drone is, we have a full post on this topic below.
Related Post: How Fast Can A Drone Fly? An In-Depth Guide To Drone Anatomy
Here is a table showing some examples of VTOL drones and their respective speeds:
Take note that ‘Professional’ drones in this case refers to both commercial and government VTOL unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Target Market | Flight Speed |
| H111 Nano Q4 | Hubsan | Consumer | 4.32km/h (2.7mph) |
| Heron X9PS | JJRC | Consumer | 20km/h (12.4mph) |
| Anafi | Parrot | Consumer/Commercial | 55km/h (34.2mph) |
| SkyProwler 2 | Krossblade | Consumer/Commercial | 130km/h (80mph) |
| DeltaQuad Pro | DeltaQuad | Professional | 90km/h (55.9mph) |
| Dragonfish | Autel Robotics | Professional | 108km/h (67.1mph) |
| MQ-8B Fire Scout | Northrop Grumman | Professional | 213km/h (132mph) |
| Camcopter S-100 | Schiebel | Professional | 220km/h (140mph) |
How Much Can VTOL Drones Carry (Payload Capacity)?
Below we’ve split this up into two separate categories:
- Consumer VTOL drone payload capacities
- Professional VTOL drone payload capacities
We’ve done this as the payload capacities when comparing consumer to professional VTOL drones are often of different scales.
Payload capacities include things such as cargo, cameras, and gimbal stabilizers.
If you’d like to find out what a drone gimbal is, what kinds of drone gimbals are available, whether drones need gimbals, how a drone gimbal works, how to choose the right gimbal, how much they cost and much more, check out our post on this topic below:
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Consumer VTOL drone payload capacity
What payload capacities do consumer VTOL drones have?
Consumer VTOL drone payload capacities range from 50g (1.8oz) to 1kg (2.2lbs) on average. The weight of the drone and the lift it can generate from its propulsion system are some factors that impact these numbers.
Below is a table with examples of consumer VTOL drones and their respective payload capacities:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Design | Payload Capacity |
| Anafi | Parrot | Quadcopter | ~56.7g (2oz) |
| Ryze Tello | DJI/Ryze Tech | Quadcopter | 80g (2.8oz) |
| Mini 2 | DJI | Quadcopter | 290g (10.2oz) |
| Phantom Pro V2.0 | DJI | Quadcopter | ~300g (10.6oz) |
| X PlusOne | Xcraft | Tail-sitter | 454g (1lb) |
| X-Star Premium | Autel Robotics | Quadcopter | 770g (1.7lbs) |
| Phantom 4 | DJI | Quadcopter | 900g (2lbs) |
Professional VTOL drone payload capacity
What payload capacities do professional VTOL drones have?
Professional VTOL drone payload capacities range from 500g (1.1lbs) to over 400kg (882lbs). The weight of the drone and the lift it can generate from its propulsion system are some factors that impact these numbers.
Below is a table with examples of professional VTOL drones and their respective payload capacities:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Design | Payload Capacity |
| Trinity F90+ | Quantum Systems | Tiltrotor | 700g (1.54lbs) |
| WingtraOne | Wingtra | Tailsitter | 800g (1.8lbs) |
| Heliplane | Drone Volt | Quadplane | 1,6kg (3.5lb) |
| GL-10 Greased Lightning | NASA | Tiltwing | 7.3kg (16lbs) |
| Agras T20 | DJI | Hexacopter | 20kg (44.1lbs) |
| Camcopter S-100 | Schiebel | Single Rotor Helicopter | 90kg (198.4lbs) |
| MQ-8B Fire Scout | Northrop Grumman | Single Rotor Helicopter | 489.7kg (1079.6lbs) |
VTOL Drone Use Cases
VTOL drones can be used in various fields allowing for safer and more efficient operations.
Here are 5 VTOL drone use cases:
- Urban air taxis
- Cargo delivery drones
- Combat situations
- Conducting inspections
- First responders
Check out our full post that dives into several applications that drones have today:
Related Post: 10 Common Uses of Drones In Our Daily Lives You May Not Know About
Urban air taxis
VTOL drones that are capable of transporting several people from one location to another are already being created and are currently being tested.
Urban air taxis are a hot topic that could potentially become commonplace in the future.
These vehicles could autonomously transport individuals much quicker than a taxi that needs to follow roads.
Cargo delivery drones
Cargo delivery drones are already being used today.
Amazon has also already begun testing in England with a selection of customers a drone delivery service that is almost completely autonomous.
The customer orders a package that is automatically loaded onto a drone that autonomously flies over the customer’s house and drops the package and flies back.
Here is a short video showing this amazing process:
Combat situations
VTOL aircraft have also seen many benefits in combat situations.
Their maneuverability and versatility allow the military to conduct advanced missions gathering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Their ability to land in tight areas can provide quick extractions during combat.
Conducting inspections
VTOL aircraft are the most popular type of drone used in inspections of things like pipeline inspections, power line inspections, and crop surveys.
This is due to their ability to steadily hover in place and capture high-quality footage necessary for these professionals to conduct these surveys.
First Responders
Some first responders such as law enforcement and firefighters are already using VTOL drones in their operations.
VTOL drones that are capable of being equipped with thermal imaging technology allow firefighters and law enforcement to search for individuals who could potentially be trapped or injured.
Law enforcement uses these drones to search for individuals during natural disasters and criminals on the run.
They can also use drones to scout ahead and make sure it’s safe to send an officer in a possibly dangerous situation.
These drones are only used by a handful of institutions in the United States but are seeming very effective and may be more and more commonplace in the future.
Advantages Of VTOL Drones
Here are 5 advantages of VTOL drones:
- VTOL drones are more maneuverable than fixed-wing drones
- Hybrid VTOL drones are more fuel-efficient than regular helicopter drones
- Hybrid VTOL drones can transition into and utilize several flight modes
- VTOL drones require less area to take-off and land than fixed-wing drones
- VTOL drones take less time to deploy
We have a full post that goes into important things you need to know before getting a drone. We dive into the rules and regulations, deciding what kind of drone you want, how to be safe when operating one, whether you should buy or build one, and much more:
Related Post: 15 Important Things You Need To Know Before Getting A Drone [Detailed Beginner’s Guide]
VTOL drones are more maneuverable than fixed-wing drones
VTOL drones are much more flexible and maneuverable than fixed-wing drones due to their ability to hover in place and their ability to make sharp turns in any direction.
This is why many decide to use VTOL drones for certain commercial applications instead of fixed-wing aircraft.
However, this increased maneuverability can also make the drone quite unstable and difficult to fly if an unexperienced pilot attempts to operate one.
Hybrid VTOL drones are more fuel-efficient than regular helicopter drones
This applies specifically to all types of VTOL drones that can transition into horizontal wing-born flight (primarily quadplanes).
There are many advantages to incorporating fixed wings into a VTOL design.
Fixed-wing drones are capable of carrying a much heavier payload capacity while sacrificing much less flight time than traditional VTOL helicopters.
Using propellers to enable the drone to take off or hover in the air while still being capable of wing-born flight ensures that quadplanes benefit from the advantages of both technologies.
Hybrid VTOL drones can transition into and utilize several flight modes
Hybrid VTOL drones can transition into and utilize both vertical and horizontal flight.
Being capable of transitioning mid-flight opens many new possibilities for consumers and professionals to experiment in various applications.
This can greatly increase the performance of the aircraft in terms of speed, payload capacity, deployment time, and flight time.
However, this transition does have its drawbacks (more on this below).
VTOL drones require less area to takeoff and land than fixed-wing drones
Drones that adopt a VTOL design or a hybrid variation can and will in most cases require less area to take off and land.
This is of course because of their ability to take off vertically, completely eliminating the need for a runway.
This minimizes the strain on the entire drone during each takeoff and landing.
VTOL drones take less time to deploy
VTOL drone manufacturers are building their drones to be very portable and quick to deploy.
This increases their efficiency and overall value for consumers and professionals looking for these essential features when using these vehicles on the field.
These drones can easily and quickly be dismantled and put together.
While dismantled, they usually greatly reduce the overall area they take up which increases portability.
Fixed-wing drones that require conventional methods of takeoff (CTOL flight mode) require much more time and space to build up speed and take off.
All of the above factors contribute to the time it takes for them to fully deploy.
Disadvantages Of VTOL Drones
Here are 5 disadvantages of VTOL drones:
- Transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight mode is dangerous for hybrid VTOL drones
- VTOL drones are more vulnerable to wind in vertical flight mode
- VTOL drones are often very expensive and complex
- VTOL drones have lower payload capacities and lower endurance than fixed-wing drones
- VTOL drones are fragile
We have a detailed post where we dive into several reasons why you shouldn’t buy a drone:
Related Post: 11 Reasons Not To Buy A Drone: Are Drones A Waste Of Your Money?
Transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight mode is dangerous for hybrid VTOL drones
In this section, we will be focusing on hybrid VTOL drones that are capable of transitioning from vertical to horizontal wing-born flight.
This technology that enables them to do so is not yet perfect and is susceptible to several malfunctions.
During the transition period (which usually only lasts a few seconds), these drones often lose considerable altitude which can be very dangerous and inefficient.
These are complex machines that use complex technology and mechanical parts. Any malfunctions could lead to devastating results (more on this below).
VTOL drones are more vulnerable to wind in vertical flight modes
VTOL and hybrid variations are much more susceptible to heavy winds or gusts that could potentially make the drone unstable.
The impact wind will have on the aircraft will depend on several factors such as the size of the aircraft and the number of propellers it has.
Wind can drastically reduce flight times and can throw any drone off balance. This is why drones usually indicate the recommended amount of wind resistance they are capable of safely dealing with.
VTOL drones are often very expensive and complex
Hybrid VTOL drones such as quadplanes require additional parts and technology such as more actuators that make it possible to make the transition between vertical and horizontal flight.
These vehicles (specifically hybrids) generally cost a lot more to function properly compared to regular fixed-wing drones as they are much more complex in many cases.
This complexity can also entail regular maintenance costs in order to ensure the drone functions the best it can and to prevent malfunctions that can lead to serious damages.
VTOL drones have lower payload capacities and lower endurance than fixed-wing drones
Since VTOL aircraft rely primarily on their propulsion systems (often propellers, motors…), this means that they will need to use a lot more fuel to takeoff.
This will make carrying payloads that surpass a certain weight and flying past a set time limit very challenging and will require operators to make sure they are respecting these limits.
Fixed-wing drones are capable of carrying much more and flying for much longer with less fuel consumption as their wings provide lift instead of a powered rotor which requires some sort of fuel to function.
Fixed-wing drones require a propulsion system to provide forward thrust and a runway to take off.
This enables them to have higher payload capacities while conserving more fuel throughout the flight increasing flight times.
This is why the quadplane design is so popular among hybrid VTOL drones. They can benefit from both of the advantages of these two different types of drones.
VTOL drones are fragile
Like all drones, VTOL drones are very fragile. With things like single rotor drone helicopters, one little bump in the main rotor or the tail rotor can cause the entire system to crash.
VTOL technology as a whole is still in its experimental stage even today. There have been few commercially successful VTOL aircraft, and even fewer VTOL drones specifically.
These vehicles require a lot of maintenance and it is always possible for one of these systems to malfunction.
One small issue with a single part of the system can bring the entire aircraft down!
What Are Some Examples Of VTOL Drones?
Here are 11 examples of popular VTOL drones:
| Drone Name | Manufacturer | Design | Flight Mode | Flight Speed | Price |
| Indago 3 | Lockheed Martin | Quadcopter | VTOL | 46.3km/h (28.8mph) | $25,000 |
| Camcopter S-100 | Schiebel | Single Rotor Helicopter | VTOL | 220km/h (140 mph) | $2 million |
| MQ-8B Fire Scout | Northrop Grumman | Single Rotor Helicopter | VTOL | 213km/h (132mph) | ~$18.2 million |
| Swing | Parrot | Tailsitter | VTOL | 30.6km/h (19mph) | ~$100 |
| Dragonfish | Autel Robotics | Tiltrotor | VTOL | 108km/h (67.1mph) | – |
| X PlusOne | X-Craft | Tailsitter | VTOL | 100km/h (60mph) | $795 |
| Heliplane | DroneVolt | Quadplane | VTOL | 72km/h (45mph) | – |
| WingtraOne | Wingtra | Tailsitter | VTOL | 57.6km/h (35.8mph) | $20,000+ |
| DeltaQuad Pro | DeltaQuad | Quadplane | VTOL | 90km/h (55.9mph) | ~$17,822 |
| Mavic Air 2 | DJI | Quadcopter | VTOL | 68.4km/h (42.5mph) | $799 |
| Trinity F90+ | Quantum Systems | Tiltrotor | VTOL | 61.2km/h (38mph) | ~$18,873 |
Who Are Some Of The Top VTOL Drone Manufacturers?
Here are 8 of the top VTOL drone manufacturers:
| Name | What They Offer | Target Market | Year Founded |
| Bell | VTOL rotorcraft | Military/Commercial | 1935 |
| Boeing | Drones (Space-Ground-Underwater) | Military/Commercial | 1916 |
| Lockheed Martin | Drones, Radar+Maritime+Weapon Systems… | Military/Commercial | 1995 |
| Northrop Grumman | Aeronautics+Defence+Space Systems… | Military/Commercial | 1994 |
| Wingtra | VTOL Drones | Commercial | 2017 |
| Autel Robotics | VTOL Drones | Consumer/Commercial | 2014 |
| DroneVolt | VTOL Drones | Commercial | 2011 |
| DJI | Drones (VTOL, Ground, Cameras) | Consumer/Commercial | 2006 |
If you’d like to discover more about who the best drone companies are in the world for the consumer, commercial and military drone markets and some fun facts about them, we have a full post on this topic below:
Related Post: Top Drone Companies/Manufacturers In The World [History, What They Offer, Popular Drones And More]
Conclusion
VTOL drone technology is yet to be perfected. This technology is still being explored and could expand what we believe is possible with these drones.
We’re very excited to see what comes of this technology and the benefits it brings along with it in the future!
