Commercial drones have become indispensable tools for public safety, assisting emergency personnel daily in carrying out their duties. These air robots provide an additional set of eyes that enable first responders to quickly assess and respond to situations while offering critical situational awareness.
However, the work of first responders doesn’t stop when the sun sets. In fact, most search and rescue operations occur at night or in low-light conditions. Whether it’s search and rescue, crime fighting, or firefighting, night vision drones can instantly identify scenes in the dark, enhancing the safety of first responders.
In this article, we’ll explore what night vision technology is, how it functions, the best drones with night vision capabilities, and much more. Let’s dive right in.
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### What is Night Vision for Drones?
Unlike nocturnal animals such as owls and cats, humans rely on light to distinguish their surroundings. Even though our pupils adjust to allow vision in low light, we lack true night vision, making it nearly impossible to discern anything in the dark.
Fortunately, there are devices that allow us to see in the dark. These devices, known as night vision cameras, can be equipped on drones for filming and recording at night. One of the most notable examples is the CW-15 night vision drone, which provides excellent performance in challenging conditions.
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### How Do Night Vision Cameras Work?
Night vision refers to two distinct types of technologies, each functioning differently based on the technology used. Let’s take a closer look at both.
#### Starlight or Low-Light Camera
Starlight cameras, also referred to as low-light cameras, gather and amplify light from celestial objects such as stars, the moon, and other sources in the night sky to provide imaging in environments where traditional cameras cannot operate.
The basic components of starlight night vision cameras include a lens, image intensifier tube, phosphor screen, eyepiece, and power supply. Light amplification technology converts a small amount of light energy from stars into electrical energy (electrons), which grow exponentially through electrical and chemical processes. These electrons then strike a phosphor-coated screen, creating the green-toned images familiar from movies and TV.
Starlight cameras feature larger image sensors with wider apertures and slower shutter speeds to collect more light. These sensors often work alongside noise suppression techniques to deliver higher-quality images.
#### Infrared (IR) and Thermal Camera
An infrared camera (or thermal imaging camera) detects heat energy or heat signatures emitted by living and inanimate objects. All objects emit infrared radiation due to their heat, including ice, but this radiation is invisible to the human eye. The hotter an object, the more heat radiation it emits. A thermal camera is equipped with a sophisticated lens and sensor system that captures these temperature waves to form a thermal image or a color map indicating the temperature values.
Infrared cameras use infrared LED lighting placed at the camera lens to capture visible information. Regardless of environmental conditions, infrared light measures the heat from the object captured by the lens, enabling this type of camera to function in completely dark areas.
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### Starlight Night Vision vs. Thermal Imaging: What Are the Differences?
People often confuse starlight cameras with thermal cameras. From the previous sections, you now understand how the two types of night vision cameras work. By comparing them, you can easily spot the key differences between starlight night vision and thermal imaging.
- **How They Work**: Starlight cameras use an image enhancement system to amplify light in a scene and convert it into a green-tinted image, whereas thermal imaging cameras use infrared sensors to convert invisible infrared energy emitted by objects into a visible thermal image.
- **Light Requirements**: Starlight cameras require sufficient light and contrast to create usable images, while infrared cameras generate images from heat and small thermal differences, allowing them to function in complete darkness.
- **Environmental Factors**: Starlight cameras are affected by dust, smoke, cloudy nights, rain, and fog, similar to human eyes, but thermal imagers are not.
- **Cost**: Starlight cameras are an older, less expensive technology, whereas thermal imaging is a newer, more popular technology and thus more costly.
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### Thermal vs. Infrared Camera
Both types of cameras work on the same principle, detecting infrared radiation emitted by bodies and objects. However, people often confuse thermal imaging cameras with infrared cameras, despite their differences.
- **Wavelength Sensitivity**: Infrared cameras are sensitive to waves of one micron (10â»â¶), while thermal cameras are sensitive to waves of ten microns (10â»âµ).
- **Applications**: Thermal imaging cameras are used to measure thermal radiation for detecting temperature faults in electrical installations, insulation defects in buildings, and thermal leaks. They can also detect the presence of people in safe areas or sources of fire. Infrared cameras are primarily used in the dark with additional illumination, such as for night shots of TVs.
- **Image Quality**: Thermal imaging cameras provide better image quality at night without additional illumination compared to infrared cameras.
- **Detection Range**: Thanks to their advanced optics, thermal imaging cameras can accurately detect temperatures at greater distances than infrared cameras.
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### Do Any Drones Have Night Vision?
Most mid-level consumer drones can be equipped with thermal cameras to provide accurate, non-contact temperature measurements from the air. Nowadays, many professionals benefit from thermal drones.
Drones with night vision cameras can help map entire underground pipelines or power grids while examining specific details and issues. With these night vision drones, you can quickly inspect hard-to-reach areas and identify potential hazards, minimizing risks to inspectors and engineers.
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### How Do I Add Night Vision to My Drone?
Almost all drones can be upgraded with some type of night vision capability. You can either install a specialized light or thermal camera on the drone frame or gimbal.
The most cost-effective and practical method is to use a lighting system. When the drone can evenly illuminate the area the camera is viewing, the drone camera can operate in color mode at night, just as it does during the day.
Alternatively, you can choose a small thermal imaging camera and attach it to the drone frame. Ensure that the thermal imaging camera is mounted with a high-quality gimbal for stable photos.
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### Which Is the Best Drone with Night Vision?
If you’re looking to fly your drone at night, some surveillance drones offer great features to capture nighttime video perfectly. They usually use infrared and thermal imaging technology.
#### JOUAV CW-15D - Cheapest Night Vision Drone
The JOUAV CW-15D is the most affordable night vision drone on this list, with 180 minutes of flight time and a maximum payload of 3 kg. Compact and versatile, the CW-15D has a built-in dual-sensor MG-120E, a high-definition 640 x 512 pixel thermal imaging camera, and a 10.8-megapixel vision camera with 30X visible zoom.
You can switch between visible, thermal, or split-view images to meet various mission requirements, such as searching for missing persons, inspecting roofs for insulation issues, or identifying illegal smuggling and poaching at night.
#### JOUAV CW-25D - Best Thermal Night Vision Drone
With 360 minutes of flight time and a cruising speed of 100 km/h, the JOUAV CW-25D is a hybrid gas-powered drone that ensures effective surveillance regardless of the mission area. Paired with the MG-150E dual-sensor solution, you’ll be able to see what the human eye can’t—whether on a search and rescue mission or monitoring locations after dark. The MG-150E gimbal camera includes a 30x zoom high-resolution camera, a laser range finder covering distances up to 4000m, and a 640×512 px radiometric thermal camera.
#### JOUAV CW-25DE - Silent Drone with Night Vision
Designed specifically for night operations, the JOUAV CW-25DE can be equipped with the MG-120E gimbal. This sensor combines a visible light camera with 30X zoom capability, a 640*512 thermal sensor, and a 3-axis gimbal stabilizer. These hybrid payloads are most powerful when used together. In low light and challenging conditions, you can dramatically improve visibility by simultaneously zooming in on the thermal and visual sensors on a split screen.
It’s an all-electric drone with minimal noise characteristics and zero carbon emissions. As a VTOL drone, the CW-25DE locks the noisy propellers after vertical takeoff to a certain altitude, transitioning to fixed-wing mode. This clever design makes it an exceptionally quiet and stealthy alternative to traditional multi-rotor drones.
#### JOUAV CW-30E - Long Range Drone with Night Vision
As a long-range night vision drone, the JOUAV CW-30E integrates a 1920 × 1080 pixel zoom camera with 30x optical and 2x digital zoom, a laser rangefinder with a detection range of 50-4000m, and a 640 × 512 px radiometric thermal camera for night vision.
As a hybrid fixed-wing drone, the CW-30E can cover large areas as quickly as a fixed-wing UAV but can also take off and land in confined spaces, even on a moving ship or vehicle, like a multi-rotor. The CW-30E long range drone has a range of up to 200km, 600 minutes of flight time, and a flight speed of 90km/h, making it ideal for large-area inspection missions.
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### How Far Can a Drone See at Night?
A typical drone with powerful illumination can see up to 165 feet (50m) away at night or in low-light conditions. Beyond that distance, the drone can only see faint shadows that cannot be discerned.
Drones equipped with infrared night vision cameras can also see a fairly limited range, up to about 5 yards. This depends on the intensity of the infrared light used by the camera. Only when the drone is very close to the target object can it pick up the light being reflected.
In contrast, thermal cameras have a much better visual range and are able to see objects several hundred feet away, depending on the variation in thermal emissivity.
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### Can You Fly a Drone at Night?
Whether you can fly a drone at night depends on the country you’re in. In some countries, such as France, flying drones at night is prohibited.
However, in the United States, you are free to fly your drone at night as long as you adhere to the new FAA drone laws.
- First, you must register your drone with the FAA.
- Second, if you’re a commercial pilot, you’ll need to undergo specific training and pass rigorous FAA tests. If flying for recreational purposes only, you don’t need any training or licenses.
- Additionally, besides meeting the FAA’s safe flight requirements for drones, when flying at night, you’ll also need to install a light on top of the drone and ensure it has a sufficient flash rate to avoid collisions.
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### Safety Tips for Flying Drones at Night
Flying a drone at night carries more risks than during the day because it’s harder to see. But knowing the potential risks and following these useful tips can help ensure safe flights.
#### Maintaining the Visual Line of Sight
This is crucial both during the day and especially at night. To ensure you can see the aircraft at all times at night, having good lighting on board is essential. It’s also helpful to have a visual observer (VO) to assist, perhaps even two. You may want to plan to fly where there are other external light sources nearby, but be aware that in some cases, they can cause confusion.
#### Avoid People, Aircraft, and Other Obstacles
It’s important to familiarize yourself with the area where you will be flying at night. Know where the obstacles are on the ground and plan how you will handle them in the dark. In any case, you should not fly above 400 feet or in heavily populated air traffic areas.
#### Know Your Aircraft’s Altitude, Attitude, and Movement
The directional lights on your night vision drone are very helpful in keeping you on course when flying in the dark. Red and green lights show you which direction your drone is heading, and many drones come with these lights pre-installed, or you can install them yourself. Use the on-screen indicators to keep track of your drone’s altitude, and you may want to preset your altitude ceiling to be lower than you would normally fly in daylight. You should also have a plan for what to do if the lights fail or you lose connection with the drone.
#### Make Your Aircraft Stand Out
It’s important that other operators of manned and unmanned aircraft can see your drone at night. The best way to make it visible is to have bright lights on board. The FAA’s requirement for commercial drones to operate at night is that the lights be visible from 3 miles away.
Don’t assume that your night vision drone’s built-in lights are bright enough, because they often aren’t. For nighttime drone flights, we recommend the Lume Cube, which is designed specifically for drones and night operations. Not only will it allow you to comply with FAA regulations, but it will also help keep your drone and others safe.
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### What Are Night Vision Drones Used For?
Flying at night is not only fun but also offers many practical and lucrative reasons to fly after dark.
#### Photography
The primary use of night vision drones is photography. This might include wedding photography, where weddings or receptions continue long after dark. Or consider real estate photography, where a potential buyer wants to see what the skyline looks like from an apartment after dark, perhaps a building still under construction.
#### Cinematography
There are many situations in the film industry that require nighttime aerial filming. Night filming is a basic requirement on the big screen, as well as for commercials, sketches, etc.
#### Security
Nighttime is a prime time for perimeter surveillance and patrols of sites such as prisons, power plants, commercial buildings, or construction sites with expensive equipment. Night surveillance drones do an excellent job of conducting security patrols, which are most needed after dark.
#### Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Police often need to fly drones at night to conduct surveillance or crime scene investigations, as many nefarious activities take place under the cover of darkness. Search and rescue drones equipped with night vision sensors can help locate missing persons in the dark. Firefighting drones with thermal cameras can be used day and night to monitor fire scenes and help keep crews safe.
#### Inspections
Roof inspections or other types of building and infrastructure inspections conducted at night may be more informative in some cases. Thermal night vision drones may be able to detect heat leaks more visibly when surfaces are not exposed to the heat of the sun.
#### Wildlife Monitoring
Night vision drones have been used for wildlife counts, habitat mapping, behavioral observations, and to provide medical care after forest fires. In addition, these wildlife drones can identify and fight poachers.
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### FAQ
#### Does the Military Use Night Vision or Thermal Drones?
Yes, the military uses thermal imaging night vision drones for a variety of purposes, such as surveillance, target acquisition, and navigation. Infrared cameras can be useful to help the military find enemies in the dark or navigate in low-visibility conditions.
#### Can Thermal Be Used as Night Vision?
Yes, thermal imagers are not affected by light and can be used in low-light situations or even in total darkness.
#### Can Thermal Vision See in the Dark?
Yes, thermal imaging helps us to see hotter objects at night, such as people and animals, by detecting infrared radiation to distinguish the relative temperature of objects around us.
#### Can Thermal Vision See Through Walls?
No, thermal imaging cameras cannot see through walls because they are usually thick enough and insulated to block any infrared radiation coming from the other side. If you point the camera at the wall, it will detect the heat from the wall, not what is behind it.
#### Is Night Vision the Same as Thermal Imaging?
No, they are different in working principle, usage, and environment of use.
#### Which Is Better: Night Vision or Thermal?
This is difficult to answer. Both devices have their advantages and disadvantages. Night vision cameras will always have an advantage in identification and qualification, while thermal cameras have an advantage in detection. Whether you should choose a night vision camera or a thermal camera depends on what you need the optics to do and how best to utilize them.
#### Is Infrared Cheaper Than Night Vision?
No, infrared and thermal cameras are more expensive than night vision cameras.
#### How Much Is a Drone with an Infrared and Thermal Camera?
The average price of an infrared and thermal camera drone can go up to $10,000 and above, depending on the model of the drone and how the model is configured.
#### What Do Drones Look Like at Night?
At night, if the drones are far away from you, they will look like small dots of light (red or green) moving across the sky. Some drones will emit a flashing white/green/red light that is visible for miles and you may mistake it for a star.
#### What Do Police Drones Look Like at Night?
First, you should remember that police drones are commercial (not military) drones, so you shouldn’t expect them to look much different from the amateur drones you’re familiar with. The biggest difference between police drones and other drones is their strobe lights. Police strobe lights come in both blue and red colors. If you are a few meters away from a police drone at night, there will be a red light on one side of the drone and a blue light on the other. However, if the police drone is far away from you, its blue and red lights will appear together, but the colors can still be distinguished.
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