Multi-Rotor UAVs for Meteorological Sensing Status, Key Technologies, and Trends

Abstract

Traditional weather observation methods have limitations in detecting low-altitude, small-scale areas and sudden weather events. They often have insufficient coverage, slow response, or high costs. Multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with their strong vertical take-off and landing ability, precise hovering, flexible movement, and ability to carry various small sensors, are gradually becoming key tools to fill these gaps and build three-dimensional weather observation networks. They show important value in medium- and small-scale weather monitoring and emergency weather support. This paper reviews the main sensors for multi-rotor weather drones, their operating modes, and key supporting technologies, summarizes the current state of technology, and provides references for future development.