Graz, Austria • October 07, 2025 — Vexcel Imaging proudly announces the launch of the new UltraCam Dragon 4.2, the next evolution in hybrid aerial mapping technology. Building on the success of its predecessor, the new system features a significantly larger nadir and oblique image footprint, delivering a performance boost with 35% more flight line efficiency for faster data collection. Its powerful sensor suite combines two nadir cameras (RGB and NIR) and four high-resolution oblique RGB cameras (19,136 x 12,736 pixels each), with a 2.4 MHz RIEGL Waveform LiDAR scanner, delivering unmatched productivity, precision, and comprehensive ground coverage.
“We’re especially proud to announce that the very first UltraCam Dragon 4.2 worldwide will be sold right here at Intergeo to our valued customer Slagboom & Peeters Aerial Surveys,” says Alexander Wiechert, CEO of Vexcel Imaging. “The UltraCam Dragon is more powerful and efficient than ever and is ready to unlock new possibilities in the toughest environments, outperforming in applications from 3D city modeling to vegetation analysis.”
Vexcel Imaging leads the way as the first aerial system manufacturer to adopt Sony’s cutting-edge IMX811 CMOS sensors, featuring 247 megapixels and a 2.81 µm pixel size, across its system lineup. In 2025 alone, the company unveiled three new systems: the UltraCam Osprey 4.2 in spring and the UltraCam Dragon 4.2 and UltraCam Merlin 5.0 at Intergeo, marking a notable expansion of its portfolio within a single year. This rapid sensor integration was made possible through Vexcel’s proprietary lens design and the sophisticated True Pixel Processing (TPP) pipeline within UltraMap, ensuring the UltraCam systems continue to deliver the industry-leading image quality they are renowned for.
The integrated RIEGL VQ-680 Waveform LiDAR scanner features an innovative multi-axis scan geometry with five distinct viewing angles (−20°, −10°, 0°, +10°, +20°) across a 60° field of view, including a true nadir scan line. This nadir component is crucial for achieving comprehensive coverage in narrow urban canyons and dense environments. The linear scan pattern delivers uniform ground coverage, ensuring consistent and balanced point distribution along the flight path. The varied viewing angles enable detailed capture of vertical structures such as building facades and significantly improve vegetation penetration, making the system ideal for both urban and natural landscapes.
The UltraCam Dragon 4.2 delivers exceptional image quality by adhering to sound photogrammetric principles and leveraging Vexcel Imaging’s True Pixel Processing (TPP) pipeline, which preserves all pixel information from capture to final product. At its core is Adaptive Motion Compensation (AMC), a proprietary software-based technology that automatically corrects for complex, multi-directional motion blur, ensuring sharp, accurate imagery across the entire project in a scene-aware manner. Combined with precise LiDAR alignment, flexible operating modes, 2 focal length options (50 mm and 80 mm), and seamless integration into the Vexcel ecosystem, the Dragon 4.2 streamlines workflows and maximizes operational efficiency and value for users and their data.
The new UltraCam Dragon 4.2 is available for purchase.
Key Specifications
About Vexcel Imaging
Vexcel Imaging is a global leader in aerial imaging, renowned for its industry-leading UltraCam aerial cameras and hybrid camera-LiDAR mapping solutions. These systems deliver unmatched flying efficiency and exceptional data quality, ensuring best-in-class performance for every application. Outputs include photogrammetric imagery, LiDAR point clouds, and other derived products. The fully integrated UltraMap photogrammetric processing software enhances project workflows with advanced automation, efficient data interaction, and intuitive tools, enabling the creation of DSMs, DTMs, orthoimages, and 3D data of the highest standard.
For more information about Vexcel Imaging, please visit: vexcel-imaging.com.
About RIEGL
RIEGL is a leading international provider of cutting-edge technology in airborne, mobile, terrestrial, industrial and UAV-based laser scanning solutions for applications in surveying. RIEGL has been producing LiDAR systems commercially for over 40 years and focuses on pulsed time-of-flight laser radar technology in multiple wavelengths. RIEGL’s core Smart-Waveform technologies provide pure digital LiDAR signal processing, unique methodologies for resolving range ambiguities, multiple targets per laser shots, optimum distribution of measurements, calibrated amplitudes and reflectance estimates, as well as the seamless integration and calibration of systems.
RIEGL maintains an outstanding history of reliability and support to their customers. Worldwide sales, training, support, and services are delivered from RIEGL’s headquarters in Austria and in the USA; main offices in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, and France; and a worldwide network of representatives.
For more information visit www.riegl.com, or contact [email protected].
