Yuneec International Typhoon H

Lore & Background

The Typhoon H was launched in April 2016 by Yuneec International. It features a ready-to-fly design with folding rotor arms, retractable landing gear, and a 3-axis anti-vibration gimbal camera capable of full 360° rotation and up to 4K resolution. The aircraft includes front-facing ultrasonic collision detection, with an optional Intel RealSense vision-based collision avoidance system demonstrated at CES 2016. The ST16 radio transmitter incorporates a built-in 7-inch Android tablet that provides telemetry and direct video streaming from the Typhoon H. The drone uses either 5.8 GHz or 2.4 GHz radio transmission. It offers autonomous flight modes including waypoints, orbit mode, follow me mode, and tracking mode, along with GPS-based altitude and position holding and a return-to-home feature. A notable safety feature is a five-rotor mode that allows the pilot to land safely if one motor is damaged during flight. The airframe is constructed from durable carbon fiber and hard plastic materials. An upgraded version called the Typhoon H Plus was announced on 9 January 2018, sharing the same design but with an improved camera, larger frame, and longer flight times.

Reader's Guide

The Typhoon H has been successful in the aerial cinematography world, often preferred to models like DJI's Phantom and Inspire. A key reason is the built-in Android tablet in the 2.4 GHz transmitter, which provides built-in telemetry and direct camera streaming. The drone is also known for its unusually high camera quality out of the box, which companies such as DJI have lacked. Although the range on the Typhoon H is not as far as the DJI Phantom lineup, many professional cinematographers have said they prefer the low latency transmission. Both drones operate with full control well beyond eyesight. The Typhoon H is considered an upgrade to the DJI Phantom 3 and 4, the Spreading Wings model line, and the DJI Inspire Pro, and is designed specifically for aerial photography and cinematography. Its combination of a 4K camera, 360-degree gimbal, retractable landing gear, and integrated tablet controller made it a notable entry in the consumer and prosumer UAV market at its launch.

Did You Know?

• The Typhoon H can land safely on five rotors if one motor is damaged during flight.
• Its ST16 transmitter has a built-in 7-inch Android tablet for telemetry and video streaming.
• An optional Intel RealSense vision-based collision avoidance system was demonstrated at CES 2016.