A detailed close-up of a heavy-lift hexacopter drone resting on its carbon-fiber landing gear on dry grass, showcasing its hybrid gas-electric engine setup.
A heavy-lift unmanned aerial system (UAS) prepares for liftoff in a field during a technical training exercise. USACE PHOTO BY BRIAN MURPHY

Heavy-Lift Hybrid sUAS: How Next-Gen Drone Technology and LiDAR Transform Tactical Mapping

/ Civil Works, Military Mission, People, Programs, Projects, R&D / By

At A Glance: Next-Gen Aerial Surveys

  • The Platform: The survey team recently deployed the heavy-lift Harris Aerial Carrier H6 Hybrid Drone during training at the former Fort Devens.
  • Heavy Payload Capacity: Designed to carry up to 11-pound professional payloads, including advanced photogrammetry sensors, heavy inspection rigs, and LiDAR gear.
  • Hybrid Advantage: Outfitted with a specialized, unique hybrid powerplant system that offers multi-hour flight times for expanded field endurance.
  • Canopy Penetration: Uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to cut through thick tree cover and capture high-fidelity mapping and terrain profiles.
  • Pilot Adaptability: Features an intuitive control scheme tailored for complex technical mapping, though smaller airframes remain the choice for routine photo and video missions.
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Whether it’s for environmental surveys, construction monitoring, or disaster response, the unmanned aerial system program is rapidly becoming a force multiplier for the New England District mission. The survey team at the former Fort Devens recently completed specialized drone training where the focus was to sharpen pilot skills and integrate the latest sensor technology into field operations.

Three men gather around a large, black industrial hexacopter drone resting on a conference table next to an open rugged Pelican equipment case.
Left to right – Todd Bagley from Harris Aerial, Barrett Morse, and Brian Demars during training. USACE PHOTO BY SHEANDRA STERLING

The Harris Aerial Carrier H6 Hybrid Drone is built to support professional-grade payloads, up to 11-pounds, and includes LiDAR, photogrammetry sensors and large inspection equipment. This allows exceptional versatility in power options for multi-hour flight time.

Four personnel, including one wearing a high-visibility safety vest, stand in an open winter field bending over a large multicopter drone to perform field calibration.
Technicians, work to prepare a large multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for flight operations in an open field clearing surrounded by mixed pine and deciduous woodland. The team conducts pre-flight checks and equipment setup on a drone equipped with a camera gimbal payload. USACE PHOTO BY BRIAN MURPHY

The training highlighted how far aerial capabilities have advanced beyond simply taking photographs. The technology is called Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, which allows operators to penetrate dense canopy cover and capture high fidelity terrain data with incredible precision.

An under-vessel view of a large black multi-rotor hexacopter drone flying mid-air with spinning propellers against a solid, clear blue sky.
A drone navigates the sky during a practical flight training mission. The flight allowed survey technicians to practice aerial maneuvers and data collection techniques. USACE PHOTO BY SHEANDRA STERLING

“It was very helpful to have the vendor on-site to walk us through the new sUAS’s particulars… every drone is a little different” said Jon Belmont, Chief of Staff, USACE NAE. “This one is much larger than our others, uses a unique, hybrid powerplant, and has a different control scheme. Personally, I preferred it – its control logic is more intuitive for me as a former crewed rotary-wing pilot – but I acknowledge that it would be “overkill” for most of the non-surveying, photo/video footage missions I’ll be more likely to support, so I need to keep brushing up on my skills with the smaller airframes!”

This article was originally published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the title, “Precision in the air: district expands drone operations.”

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