Larger areas per launch
One launch maps up to 1,000 ha at about 10 mm/px or up to 300 km of corridor, so a whole job finishes inside one weather window.
Fadron Nimbus · Long-range VTOL drone
The long-range VTOL drone that maps a whole corridor in one flight.
One operator launches Fadron Nimbus from any clearing and flies it up to 300 km with a survey camera, LiDAR or EO/IR gimbal on board, for mapping, surveying, inspection and ISR.
2.5–4h2.5 hours on a single battery, up to 4 with a second fitted
300kmOf route between one launch and one landing
1,000haMapped in one flight at about 10 mm/px
4kgMaximum payload: survey camera, LiDAR, thermal or EO/IR
Fadron Nimbus is a long-range VTOL fixed-wing drone for surveying, aerial and LiDAR mapping, corridor inspection, wildlife monitoring and ISR. It takes off and lands vertically and flies 2.5 hours on a single battery or up to 4 hours with a second, covering up to 300 km of route or 1,000 ha at about 10 mm/px per flight. One operator flies it beyond visual line of sight with up to 4 kg of sensor. It comes as Mapper for survey and Recon for ISR.
Why Nimbus
Nimbus gets more out of every flight.
One operator, no assembly
Nimbus folds flat into one case and needs no tools or assembly. Its carbon-fiber airframe is the largest in its class that one person handles comfortably.
Survey-grade sensors on board
Nimbus lifts up to 4 kg, enough for the sensors clients pay for: a survey-grade camera, LiDAR, thermal and RGB together, or an EO/IR gimbal.
See what Nimbus costs.
The Mapper price comes by email, and a demonstration flight comes to your site.
Coverage per flight
One Nimbus flight maps about 3.5 times the area of the nearest fixed wing.
Six survey aircraft flown to one brief: 27 mm/px, 60% side overlap, each with the mapping sensor it is sold with and at its manufacturer's published maximum flight time. Nimbus flies a routine three-hour sortie, below its own maximum, and still covers the most ground by a wide margin.
- Nimbus MapperSony ILX-LR1, 61 MP 2,106 ha
- WingtraRAYMAP61, 61 MP 581 ha
- WingtraOne GEN IISony RGB61, 61 MP 581 ha
- AgEagle eBee XAeria X, 24 MP 525 ha
- Matrice 400 + P1Zenmuse P1, 45 MP 470 ha
- Mavic 3Ebuilt-in, 20 MP 231 ha
Check the numbers yourself.
Coverage = sensor width in pixels × ground sample distance × (1 − overlap) × cruise speed × flight time. Flight times and sensors are each manufacturer's published figures. Run it against any aircraft on the chart in our GSD and UAV performance calculator. Fadron's own 1,000 ha per flight is quoted at a finer survey resolution of about 10 mm/px, where every aircraft here scales down in the same proportion.
Fewer flights per job means fewer setups, fewer battery swaps and fewer days waiting on weather.
Applications
Eight jobs for a long-range VTOL drone, from survey to ISR.
Each job flies on the same VTOL drone with one operator; only the sensor changes.
VTOL drone for surveying and geodesy
One operator flies topographic and cadastral surveys with a survey-grade Sony or Phase One camera and RTK or PPK positioning, covering large blocks before the weather turns.
Ask about surveyingAerial mapping of large areas
A single flight maps up to 1,000 ha at about 10 mm/px, giving one consistent image set for orthomosaics and 3D models of large sites, towns and estates.
Ask about aerial mappingLiDAR mapping under tree canopy
A YellowScan LiDAR unit on Nimbus maps bare ground under tree canopy, for terrain models, floodplains and power line vegetation checks across whole corridors and sites.
Ask about LiDAR mappingDrone corridor and pipeline inspection
Highways, rail, pipelines and power lines are flown end to end, up to 300 km from one launch, and HALO AI scores roads and runways to ASTM PCI.
Ask about corridor inspectionMining and stockpile volume surveys
Map open pits, haul roads and stockpiles across the whole site in one visit, so every volume report and progress check comes from the same surface model.
Ask about mine surveysDrone mapping for agriculture and forestry
Nimbus maps crop health, irrigation and forest stands across whole farms and estates in one flight, with thermal and RGB or a multispectral camera fitted to order.
Ask about agricultureVTOL drone for wildlife monitoring
Thermal cameras count herds and colonies across whole reserves in long transects from altitude, and Recon patrols for poachers with EO/IR detection and tracking on board.
Ask about wildlife monitoringReconnaissance, border security and ISR
Nimbus Recon carries an EO/IR gimbal with a thermal camera for border and perimeter patrol, search and rescue, and wildfire watch, and keeps flying the mission when GPS is jammed.
Ask about ISR missionsGet Nimbus configured for your job.
Name the mission and the sensor, and we reply with a specification and price.
In the field
One person unfolds it and flies it.
Nimbus goes from the closed case to the flight line by hand: unfold the wing, set it down in any clearing, and it lifts off vertically.
- 2.82 m of wing The long wing keeps Nimbus aloft for hours, and all of it folds by hand.
- Full carbon-fiber body Laid up in house, it keeps Nimbus to a 13 kg maximum takeoff weight, sensor included.
- 114 × 110 × 26 cm The folded aircraft fits one case that one person carries and checks as sports baggage.
Two configurations
Mapper for survey, Recon for ISR.
Both fly the same carbon airframe on PX4 and QGroundControl. The payload and the software on board change with the mission.
Nimbus Mapper
Mapper is the survey configuration, for operators, surveyors and asset owners who map large areas.
- Up to 4 kg of sensor: mapping camera, LiDAR, or thermal with RGB
- Corridors, mines, cadastral blocks and farmland mapped from one launch point
- Roads and runways scored to ASTM PCI in HALO AI
Nimbus Recon
Recon is the ISR configuration, for border, security and public safety teams who patrol large areas.
- GNSS-denied navigation keeps the mission flying when GPS is jammed or spoofed
- An EO/IR gimbal with a thermal camera keeps eyes on the target by day and night
- Available in an NDAA-compliant configuration, built to your requirement
Defence and government organizations, start on our Defence & Government page.
Integrated payloads
Atmolab and NextVision also fly on Recon. Bring another sensor and we integrate it.
The credentials behind Nimbus.
Built for BVLOS
Aircraft data and procedures ready for your BVLOS application.
Built in Bulgaria
Designed, built and flight-tested in Sofia, within the EU and NATO.
3,000+ flight-test hours
Logged on the Nimbus airframe that every production aircraft is built to.
NDAA-compliant Recon
A configuration built for US federally funded and government-connected work.
Specifications
Performance and operating envelope.
- 2.5–4hFlight time: 2.5 h on a single battery, up to 4 h with a second
- Up to 300kmRange
- Up to 4kgMaximum payload
- 80km/hCruise speed
- 2.82mWingspan
- 13kgMaximum takeoff weight
- 12m/sWind resistance
- -5 to 50 °COperating temperature
- 3,500mMaximum site altitude
The full data sheet comes by email, with the Mapper price. Get the data sheet and price.
Production
Built in series in Sofia.
Every Nimbus is laid up, assembled and acceptance-tested in the facility where it was designed.
The engineers who build it also support it: a new mount, a payload integration or a mission-specific parameter set is engineered in house, and spares come off the same line.
Questions
What buyers ask before they order.
Nimbus maps up to 1,000 ha in one flight at about 10 mm/px, survey resolution for corridor and site mapping. In maximum-detail mode it flies lower and slower and maps down to 0.1 mm/px over a smaller area. We plan the flight around the deliverable you need.
Yes. Fadron's Nimbus Mapper flies topographic and cadastral surveys with RTK or PPK positioning and a survey-grade Sony or Phase One camera, or a YellowScan LiDAR unit where terrain sits under vegetation. One flight maps up to 1,000 ha at about 10 mm/px, so a whole survey block is captured in one weather window and one consistent dataset.
For large reserves, a long-range VTOL fixed-wing drone fits best, and Fadron Nimbus is built for that work. It takes off vertically from any clearing, flies 2.5 hours on a single battery or up to 4 hours with a second, and carries thermal and RGB cameras for animal counts. Nimbus Recon adds EO/IR anti-poaching patrols.
Yes. Nimbus is built for BVLOS work: one operator flies the whole corridor from one launch point, with no observers posted along the line. In the EU, BVLOS flights run under an operational authorization assessed with SORA, and we prepare that application with you, with the aircraft data and procedures it needs.
Yes. Nimbus Recon is the ISR configuration of Fadron's long-range VTOL drone, for border security, critical infrastructure, search and rescue, and wildfire. It flies up to 300 km, carries an NDAA-compliant EO/IR gimbal with a thermal camera, tracks targets on board, and keeps flying when GPS is jammed or spoofed.
Nimbus Recon keeps flying the mission. It fuses visual navigation with its inertial system, so it knows where it is without satellite signals and finishes the route. EASA ranks the Sofia flight information region fourth in the world for GNSS interference, and Nimbus is built and flown inside it.
Nimbus Recon is available in an NDAA-compliant configuration, down to its EO/IR gimbal with a thermal camera. Name the requirement when you request the quote and we build to it.
Nimbus ships ready to fly: the aircraft in your configuration, your payload integrated, flight-planning software, HALO AI integration and operator training, so your team flies it without us. It runs on PX4 and QGroundControl, so a crew that knows the open-source stack starts on familiar ground. Full hull and liability insurance can be added to the package.
Yes. We bring Nimbus to your site and fly a live demonstration over your own survey area, so you judge it on the ground you actually map.
Nimbus is in serial production in Sofia, so your aircraft comes off a running line. The delivery window is confirmed in writing with your quote and becomes part of the specification you sign.
Start here
Get the data sheet, see it fly, or get a quote.
Data sheet and price
We email the full data sheet and the Mapper price as soon as you ask.
Get the data sheet and priceSee Nimbus fly first
We bring Nimbus to your site and fly it over the ground you map.
Book a demonstration flightA written quote
We send a written specification with your configuration, delivery window and price.
Request a quoteReselling or integrating Nimbus? Ask for our reseller, integrator and white-label terms.