CADDX | Supporting UBC UAS Team to Secure 4th Place at the 2026 National Student UAS Competition! 🚁🔥

Advancing UAV Technology for Urban Firefighting Applications

2026 AEAC National Student UAS Competition

CADDX supported the UBC UAS Team from UBC Okanagan in achieving an impressive fourth-place finish at the 2026 AEAC National Student UAS Competition.

Event Background

The AEAC National Student UAS Competition is a Canadian university-level competition focused on the design, development, integration, and operation of unmanned aircraft systems for real-world applications.

Unlike competitions focused solely on flight performance, the event challenges teams to develop complete UAS solutions covering airframe design, autonomous flight systems, machine vision, payload integration, flight endurance, mission efficiency, aviation compliance, project management, and team collaboration.

The 2026 competition focused on UAV applications for urban high-rise firefighting, challenging teams to complete missions including fire scene reconnaissance, firefighting payload delivery, and airspace coordination.

UBC UAS Team Takes on Urban Firefighting Challenges

The UBC UAS Team from UBC Okanagan participated in the competition with a UAV system designed for urban firefighting and emergency response.

The team was challenged to complete three core mission scenarios:

 · Fire Scene Reconnaissance

Using an FPV perspective to rapidly gather aerial information and support situational awareness and decision-making.

 · Firefighting Payload Delivery

Delivering firefighting supplies to designated areas while balancing flight stability, payload capacity, endurance, and mission efficiency.

 · Airspace Coordination

Operating within a complex urban airspace environment while coordinating flight operations and meeting aviation safety and compliance requirements.

These challenges brought together airframe design, flight control, visual perception, payload systems, endurance, and team coordination, requiring teams to develop and operate complete unmanned aircraft systems rather than simply demonstrate flight capability.

Through its overall performance, the UBC UAS Team secured fourth place in the 2026 competition.

Powered by CADDX Technology

As a sponsor of the UBC UAS Team, CADDX provided GM3, Moonlight VTX, and Goggles X, supporting the team's FPV vision and control system.

Moonlight VTX

Provides high-definition real-time video transmission and 4K/60fps recording, with low-light imaging capabilities to support aerial observation in challenging lighting conditions.

GM3 Gimbal

Provides stabilized, multi-angle viewing, allowing operators to adjust their field of view during flight for greater flexibility in target search and environmental observation.

Goggles X

Provides an immersive FPV viewing experience with a low-latency video link, enabling operators to maintain real-time visual awareness during flight and make more precise operational decisions.

Together, the CADDX solution provides real-time video transmission, immersive FPV viewing, and flexible visual observation, supporting the team in demanding UAV missions.

A Comprehensive Engineering Challenge

Beyond flight performance, the competition provides students with hands-on experience across the full UAS development process.

From mechanical design, embedded systems, autonomous flight algorithms, and machine vision to aviation regulations, project management, and team collaboration, participants are challenged to integrate knowledge from multiple engineering disciplines into a functional and reliable unmanned system.

The experience also provides valuable exposure to real-world UAV and aerospace applications, helping students develop the engineering and problem-solving skills needed for future careers in the industry.

From Competition to Real-World Applications

The fourth-place finish reflects the UBC UAS Team's capabilities in UAV system design, engineering development, mission execution, and team collaboration, while highlighting the potential of unmanned aircraft systems in applications such as firefighting and emergency response.

For CADDX, supporting university teams in demanding engineering competitions is an opportunity to bring FPV vision and digital video transmission technology into new application scenarios.

Looking ahead, CADDX will continue to support universities, research teams, and innovators around the world with high-definition, low-latency, and reliable FPV vision technology, helping expand the possibilities of unmanned systems in real-world applications.

CADDX — Connecting Vision to New Possibilities.