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Saeed Iqbal / Drones & Unmanned Systems

Projects by Saeed Iqbal · 10 projects

Drones & Unmanned Systems

From airframe CAD and payload engineering to flight training and fleet support. I fly what I build.

Heavy-Lift Multirotors · FPV · Payload Integration · Photogrammetry · ArduPilot / Cube · Thermal Imaging · UGVs · MRO

Heavy-Lift Payload Release — Heavy-lift system, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Precision drop kits for enterprise UAS

Heavy-Lift Payload Release

Designed, built and field-tested release mechanisms that let enterprise heavy-lift multirotors carry and precisely drop payloads, from first CAD model to fielded kits.

  • Release mechanism modelled and stress-checked in SolidWorks
  • Integrated on RTK-equipped enterprise platforms
  • Field trials for drop accuracy, from above and in flight
  • Produced and fielded at scale as standard payload kits

SolidWorks · Enterprise UAS · RTK · Field Testing

3D Mapping & Elevation Models — DEM processing, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Photogrammetry surveys

3D Mapping & Elevation Models

Drone survey workflows that replace slow manual surveying, producing orthomosaics, digital elevation models and contours of large or hard-to-reach terrain.

  • 3D elevation mapping of a large residential development (2023)
  • Flight planning, ground control and processing pipeline
  • Survey training and documentation for operators

Photogrammetry · DEM / DSM · GIS · RTK

FPV Strike & Interceptor Series — Thermal FPV feed, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

5″ and 7″ high-speed airframes

FPV Strike & Interceptor Series

A compact FPV family, plus evaluation of autonomous AI-guided interceptors for counter-UAS.

  • 5″ and 7″ classes reaching up to 385 km/h
  • Payloads up to 0.6 kg across a 5 km flight distance
  • Day and thermal camera options with on-screen targeting overlay
  • Technical evaluation of autonomous interceptors in the 400+ km/h class

FPV · 6S / 8S · Analog & Digital VTX · C-UAS

Drone Thermal Payload — Thermal camera output, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

640 thermal core on a compact gimbal

Drone Thermal Payload

Engineered a 640×512 thermal core onto a compact drone gimbal with a symmetric yoke bracket and its own video downlink, adding night capability to small platforms.

  • About 129 g added mass, keeping 33–36 min endurance
  • Dedicated 5.8 GHz analog video transmitter
  • In-house software to measure NETD and MRTD of the camera

Thermal Imaging · Gimbal Design · VTX · Python

50 kg X8 Coaxial Heavy-Lifter — Representative image: heavy-lift multirotor class, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Airframe and power system design

50 kg X8 Coaxial Heavy-Lifter

Complete design for a coaxial X8 multirotor in the 50 kg payload class, from propulsion selection to the redundant avionics architecture.

  • Cube Orange+ flight controller with DroneCAN peripherals and redundant power
  • 8 × 24S heavy-lift propulsion sets
  • 24S, 60–80 Ah power architecture with anti-spark and current management

ArduPilot · DroneCAN · 24S Power · Propulsion Sizing

Fiber-Optic Tethered FPV — Representative image: FPV with fiber spool, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Jam-proof control link

Fiber-Optic Tethered FPV

Fiber-optic spool payloads that give FPV drones a control and video link that can’t be jammed. Covers vendor benchmarking, spool specs and rewinding equipment.

  • Technical and cost comparison of spool suppliers
  • Spool length, tensile and attenuation requirements
  • Evaluated optical-fiber rewinding machines for local production

Fiber Optics · FPV · Supply Chain

Drone Flight Training School — Training flight, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Three-day operator course

Drone Flight Training School

Wrote and ran a pilot course covering everything from controller orientation to emergency handling and line-of-sight flight on enterprise platforms.

  • Day 1 classroom: systems, apps, pre-flight checks, emergencies
  • Day 2 flight line: calibration, RTH, VLOS flying, debriefs
  • Day 3 missions and assessment

Training Design · Enterprise UAS

UAS Repair & Fleet Support — Repair lab layout, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

5 years of maintenance and repair

UAS Repair & Fleet Support

Around five years of custom repair, maintenance and spares support for drone fleets, including designing the workshop where it happens.

  • Diagnostics, repair and recalibration of enterprise drones
  • Workshop and lab layout design
  • Spares planning and procurement

MRO · Diagnostics · Spares Management

4×4 Recon Rover — Rover on terrain, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Quiet electric UGV

4×4 Recon Rover

An off-road reconnaissance rover built for rough terrain: fully electric for minimal heat and noise signature, with hot-swappable batteries.

  • 4×4 differential with fully articulated suspension
  • 1 km range, 55 min endurance, 4.5 kg
  • All-weather build

UGV · Electric Drive · RC Systems

Fixed-Wing UAV Design — UAV concept, a drones & unmanned systems project by Saeed Iqbal

Airframes from CAD to flight

Fixed-Wing UAV Design

Fixed-wing airframes designed in CAD, then built as scratch-built trainers and 3D-printed prototypes.

  • Airframe concepts and payload bays in CAD
  • Scratch-built RC trainers for flight testing
  • Printed prototypes for rapid iteration

CAD · Aerodynamics · 3D Printing

See these projects with video in the animated portfolio.