FLIR SkyRanger R70
A small VTOL UAS with expanded carrying capacity, open architecture, and advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence, developed for demanding operators in the defense, security, public safety and infrastructure inspection markets. Hot-swappable payloads and the Tether Kit let one airframe move between ISR imaging, payload delivery and persistent tethered operations.
“Group 2 ISR in a Group 1 UAS”
The R70’s multi-mission payloads provide ISR and payload delivery capabilities previously limited to much larger UAS. The airframe is the constant; the mission is set by what you mount on it.
Applications:
- Immediate ISR
- Beyond line-of-sight reconnaissance
- Force protection
- Payload delivery
- Situational awareness
One airframe, swappable missions
Compatible Teledyne FLIR payloads are hot-swappable, and custom payloads are supported through the R70 Payload Development Kit (PDK). Here are the payload interfaces, then the payloads you can find on farrwest.com.
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02
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Hot-swappable imaging payloads
The StormCaster family, the EO/IR Mk-II and other day and night imagers are the payloads listed on this page. The StormCaster payload family interchanges across the SkyRanger R70 and R80D SkyRaider platforms.
Hot-Swappable: Yes - 02
EO/IR Frontcam
Provides domain awareness when carrying bottom-mounted, non-camera payloads, or over 210° of simultaneous fore and aft situational awareness surveillance.
320x240 LWIR, 1080p EO 30Hz - 03
Carry, drop, emplace
With the Osprey, operators can rapidly attach, carry and deliver nearly any object up to 3.5 kg for forward resupply, asset extraction or other specialized missions. Ask us about the Osprey.
Osprey: Up to 3.5 kg (7.7lbs) - 04
Ruggedized power & comms connector
The latest R70 airframe includes a ruggedized connector providing access to aircraft power and communication networks, for persistent operations with the Tether Kit.
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Rear-mount accessory port
For Teledyne FLIR and 3rd party capabilities, on the same latest airframe.
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Payload Development Kit
Third-party payload developers have integrated their payloads with the R70 platform, extending it to critical ISR, detection and ELINT missions.
PDK: payloads up to 3.5kg
Payloads on farrwest.com
Each card opens our listing for that payload. Confirm your configuration when you request a quote.
StormCaster-T
Continuous zoom LWIR imaging. A 7x improvement in line of sight stabilization, enhanced range of motion and dramatically increased geolocation accuracy, in a rugged, low SWaP-C package.
- 640 x 512 thermal
- 31° to 6° optical continuous zoom
- Line-of-sight stabilization < 0.3 mRad
- 1.0 Kg (2.2 lbs)
EO/IR Mk-II
A multi-sensor imaging payload for the SkyRanger with simultaneous EO and IR video streams, thermal palettes in white-hot, black-hot, rainbow and ironbow, and GIS-ready imagery with embedded geotags and STANAG 4609 compliant metadata.
- 13 megapixels (4192 x 3104 pixels) / (640 x 512 pixels)
- 4x digital zoom
- 58° / 45° (13mm) or 32° (19mm)
Build on the airframe
The Unmanned Development Kits (UDK) further extend the R70 platform for end users: integrate custom payloads and sensors, integrate C2 and deploy custom applications on UAS hardware.
Video from Teledyne FLIR imaging payloads carries embedded STANAG 4609 KLV metadata. Third-party payloads have their own materials; tell us what you plan to integrate.
Free-flying or tethered
On battery, the R70 flies free for over 40 minutes. Add the Tether Kit for continuous operation of the aircraft and attached payloads, with power and data delivered for secure and RF-quiet operations. Modularity permits conversion between free flying and tethered modes in minutes.
Free flight
Over 40 minutes on the standard propulsion system, with a robust digital MIMO link and two independent navigation subsystems.
- Endurance
- Over 40 minutes with standard propulsion systemUp to 59 minutes with XL Battery Packs
- Carry
- Osprey: Up to 3.5 kg (7.7lbs)
- Radio range
- Up to 8km (5 miles) with standard base station
- Altitude
- Operates up to 15,000’ MSL
- Launch time
- 3-5 minutes
Tethered
Continuous power to aircraft and payloads, with flight durations of 24 hours for continuous mission support.
- Flight duration
- 24 hours** Dependent on environmental conditions.
- Payload
- 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
- Tether length
- 328ft (100 m)
- Max ceiling
- 13,000 ft MSL (4,000 m)
- Data rate
- 50 Mbps
Tether Kit
Continuous aircraft operation for R70 & R80D. Highly transportable and designed for use in austere environments, it may be installed or removed from the aircraft in the field within 5 minutes. It supports FLIR payloads or your own application-specific payload enabled by the PDK. It connects through the ruggedized connector on the latest R70 airframe, so tell us which airframe you fly.
- Tether length 328ft (100 m)
- IP54
- 14° F to 122° F (-20°C to 50°C)
- 120V/60Hz or 230V/50Hz
The system will warn the operator and continue to fly on internal batteries until a low-power condition triggers either an automatic descent to a safe AGL altitude, or a safe auto-land. Intelligent altitude management maximizes the operational envelope while minimizing operator burden.
A flying supercomputer at the edge
Advanced edge-of-network processing enables object detection and classification, semi-autonomous flight, and the ability to thrive in GPS- or comms-denied environments.
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Multiple embedded NVIDIA TX2 processors
An engine for real-time artificial intelligence at the network edge, including object detection and classification.
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Four dedicated computer vision cameras
Upgraded to max available HD resolution on the latest R70 airframe, they enable autonomous operations, landing on a moving platform and flights in GPS-denied environments.
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Analytics on every FLIR imaging payload
The EO/IR Frontcam and all FLIR imaging payloads benefit from an integrated suite of AI tools and image analytics in both EO and IR, including object detection and classification and augmented reality overlays.
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Keeps working without a link
The R70 is able to execute semi-autonomous missions without an active command link, for operations in RF-denied environments.
Fly it from a tablet
The R70 is flown from a tablet-based ground control station. Mission data is encrypted, video carries standard metadata, and the aircraft is ready to launch in minutes.
Resilient in the air
The R70’s carbon fiber and magnesium airframe is tested to IP-54, MIL-STD-810G environmental tolerances, with published wind limits for flight and for takeoff.
Operates up to this altitude.
-4°F to 122°F
MIL-STD-810G
Ground speed (31mph). Ascent 4m/s, descent 3m/s.
Robust digital MIMO link
Mission success is underpinned by a robust digital MIMO communications link.
Two navigation subsystems
The R70 carries two independent navigation subsystems.
RF-denied operations
Semi-autonomous missions continue without an active command link.
R70 specs
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Height | 45cm (17.7”) |
| Total length | 1.35m (53”) Propeller tip to propeller tip |
| Weight | 5kg (11 lbs) |
| Airframe | Carbon fiber and magnesium |
| Performance | |
| Typical endurance | Over 40 minutes with standard propulsion system Tether Kit available Up to 59 minutes with new XL Battery Packs |
| Max. speed | Ground speed 50kph (31mph) Max ascent speed 4m/s (13ft/s) Max descent speed 3m/s (9ft/s) |
| Altitude | Operate up to 15,000’ MSL |
| Environment | |
| Temperature | -20°C to 50°C (-4°F to 122°F) |
| Wind | 65 kph sustained, 90 kph gusting (40mph, 56 mph) 40 kph Max wind speed at takeoff (25mph) |
| Precipitation | IP-54, MIL-STD-810G |
| Compatible Teledyne FLIR payloads | |
|---|---|
| Hot-swappable | Yes |
| Custom | Supported through the R70 Payload Development Kit (PDK) |
| Carry, drop, emplace | Osprey: Up to 3.5 kg (7.7lbs) |
| Day imager | StormCaster-T, EO/IR MK-II, HD40-XV |
| Night imager | StormCaster-T, EO/IR MK-II |
| EO/IR Frontcam | 320x240 LWIR, 1080p EO 30Hz |
| Video metadata | Embedded STANAG 4609 KLV metadata |
| StormCaster-T | |
| Image stills | 640 x 512 pixels |
| Zoom | 5x optical, 15x digital |
| Field of view | 31° to 6° optical, 2° with digital zoom |
| Video resolution | 640 x 512 60 FPS, H.264 recorded |
| EO/IR MK-II | |
| Image stills | 13 megapixels (4192 x 3104 pixels) / (640 x 512 pixels) |
| Zoom | 4x digital |
| Field of view | 58° / 45° (13mm) or 32° (19mm) |
| Video resolution | 640 x 512 / 8.33 FPS H.264 recorded |
| Data link | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 915Mhz, 922Mhz, 2.2Ghz + other frequencies and waveforms |
| Radio range | Up to 8km (5 miles) with standard base station |
| Mission data | AES encryption, with a 256-bit physical key exchange |
| Launch time | 3-5 minutes |
| Tether Kit | |
|---|---|
| Tether length | 328ft (100 m) |
| Data rate | 50 Mbps |
| Max ceiling | 13,000 ft MSL (4,000 m) |
| Payload | 4.4 lbs (2 kg) |
| Ground station velocity | 12 mph (19.3 kph) |
| Flight duration | 24 hours** Dependent on environmental conditions. |
| Environmental tolerance | IP54 |
| Wind tolerance | Up to 28 mph (45 km/hr) at AGL of 320 ft (100 m) with payload weighing 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) |
| Operating temperature | 14° F to 122° F (-20°C to 50°C) |
| Power | 120V/60Hz or 230V/50Hz |
This product is subject to United States export regulations and may require US authorization prior to export, reexport, or transfer to non-US persons or parties. Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited.
Downloads & related systems
SkyRanger R70 datasheet
Applications, features, payload rows and full specifications.
Payload datasheetStormCaster-T datasheet
Thermal imager, gimbal and physical specifications.
Accessory datasheetTether Kit datasheet
Tethered operation for R70 and R80D, with specifications.
Related aircraftR80D SkyRaider
The StormCaster payload family and the Tether Kit are shared across the SkyRanger R70 and R80D SkyRaider platforms.
ConfigurationScope your system
Tell us your mission, the payloads you need and whether you plan to fly tethered, and we will come back with information for your configuration.
ServiceFarrWest Repair Depot
OEM-certified service and support on every product we deliver. When a repair falls outside our in-house scope, we coordinate directly with the manufacturer and manage the logistics end to end.
Common questions
Who is the SkyRanger R70 built for?
How long can it fly?
How much can it carry?
Which imaging payloads does the R70 support?
Does every R70 work with the Tether Kit?
How long is the tether, and how high can it fly tethered?
Can it fly without GPS or a command link?
What weather is it rated for?
Do the payloads also work on the R80D SkyRaider?
Is the R70 export controlled?
Buying from FarrWest
BuyBoard & PCA vendor
FarrWest is a pre-approved vendor on BuyBoard and Purchasing Cooperative of America (PCA). Government agencies can buy on competitively-bid cooperative contracts, with no lengthy RFP.
ServiceService after the sale
OEM-certified service and support on every product we deliver: functional checks and certified calibration on the manufacturer’s required cycle, back in service in 48–72 hours typical.
Since 2004Woman-owned, HUB-certified
Serving Hazmat, Fire, Police, EMS, and Specialty Vehicle operations nationwide since 2004, with expert support, training, and service after the sale.
Configure your R70
Tell us the mission, the payloads you need and whether you plan to fly free or tethered. We will come back with information on configuration and availability.