>Don't police helicopters usually have thermal / infrared cameras? There's very little chance this drone had an infrared camera, correct? The one in question m

>Don't police helicopters usually have thermal / infrared cameras? There's very little chance this drone had an infrared camera, correct? The one in question more than likely used a normal visual spectrum camera. Cheap, repurposed security board cameras or GoPros are the norm. FLIR cameras are available[1], but they're very expensive, so, yes, it's very unlikely this guy was using thermal imaging. >What is the max range on a reasonably priced drone these days (transmitter range or battery range)? The answer is a solid "it depends." For a multirotor, your biggest limitation is battery capacity. 10-15 minutes of flight time would be above average. As far as radio systems go, again, it depends on the frequencies and antennas being used. The most common systems use 2.4GHz for control and 5.8GHz for the video downlink. 1-2KM is pretty typical. A fixed wing with a 433MHz/1.3GHz system and directional antennas can potentially make 20-30KM flights. This is all with readily available equipment at fairly low cost. [1] - http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=1088 http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCa...