Introducing the Dark Matter® hX and qD Gen 3

31 December 2025
Dark Matter Star foldable drones with extended flight endurance

The Dark Matter® hX and qD Gen 3 are the new 2025 versions of our proven aircraft.

So, what's new?

On the exterior, our striking design bares a lot of resemblance to the first generation. We have also kept the modular aspects, providing better flexibility and future-proofing for our customers. But don't let that fool you in to thinking that's all we have changed.

Benefitting of years of customers feedback and continuous improvement as well as the industry development in avionics, sensors and batteries, these systems are better than ever!

The payload capacity is improved further thanks to our new bespoke drivetrain and stronger chassis.

These aircraft offer up to 84 minutes flight time each.

The aircraft are designed for quick deployment; assembly can be conducted in a couple of minutes in the field without the need of a single tool.

We can integrate gimballed EO, IR or dual sensor cameras to replace our previously fixed FPV camera, leaving the payload bay free for further sensors.

The platforms are compatible with a wide range of payloads from partners we have been working with over the years and new ones.

The systems can be configured with various tethers, cameras, Lidars or emergency response equipment, to name but a few.

These aircraft are therefore capable of conducting many aerial applications.


Made in the UK

The need for sovereign aircraft has never been stronger, and we are proud to say that the Dark Matter® hX and qD Gen 3 have been designed and developed in the UK and are manufactured there too.

Akhter-Clogworks Technologies Limited has recently moved to bigger premises in Yorkshire to increase production capacity and

we now have the facility to give demonstrations and conduct flight testing on our production site as well.

Quick deployment and tiltable fpv camera as standard

The aircraft are quick to deploy thanks to their quick assembly design and can be transported easily. The fully detachable components still allow for easy and quick

 service and maintenance when needed.

As standard, the Dark Matter® hX and qD Gen 3 can carry a range of tiltable EO or EO/IR dual sensors cameras to replace our previous fixed FPV small camera.

The payload bay under the aircraft is left free for additional payloads.

There is still the option to have payload mounted on top of the aircraft for application such as under bridge inspection.

Modular Design

Like our previous versions, Dark Matter hX and qD Gen 3 have a modular design. The arms can be swapped as a whole for quick servicing and maintenance. The landing gear can be configured as a long leg set up, short leg set up, fixed landing gear and a tripod mounted landing system to assist the aircraft when landing on moving or uneven surfaces.

The larger payload capacity allows for more features and sensors to be added too, which can be needed for specific operational needs and as legislation evolves.

Individual user specifications can be applied at the point of order or can be made to order later on, providing maximum flexibility for our customers and their constantly growing list of requirements.

Great design, endurance and weather resistance

The aircraft is constructed from parts carefully selected for maximum efficiency and performance.

Every carbon fibre parts ensures the chassis is as lightweight and robust as possible.

The Dark Matter hX and qD Gen 3 aerodynamic shape also ensure optimal flight time of up to 84 minutes (with biggest battery and smallest payload).

Electronics components have been tested in harsh conditions to ensure robustness to the elements and metal CNC machined parts are made of aerospace grade aluminium.

The aircraft can be relied upon in wide operational conditions, with great resistance to strong wind and rain  and can be flown on GPS or manually, even in GNSS denied environment.
The aircraft and long range controller are housed in a weatherproof flightcase for easy transportation.

Safety as a top priority

Whilst we have pushed the envelope in terms of performance and reliability, we have also but a huge focus on safety for the aircraft.
The navigation lights make the aircraft conspicuous by cleverly dispersing the light. We also have a green flashing light for night flying and Remote-ID options as necessary by legislation.
All our aircraft come with dual GPS modules as standard to offer GNSS redundancy.
The autopilot module also has three temperature controlled IMUs and two onboard barometers.

We have refined our landing gear retract system to ensure flawless results even while carrying heavy payloads.
The entire system from airframe to each individual component has been intentionally over-engineered to ensure our platforms can be as safe and reliable as possible for our pilots. 
ADS-B options are available for our aircraft too. This, along with the improved lighting, allows the aircraft to be as conspicuous and as visible as possible to both local aircraft and ATC.

 We can also integrate various parachutes and this extra safety feature is on top of the redundant six motor set-up of our hexacopter.

Modular design

Like our previous versions, Dark Matter hX and qD Gen 3 have a modular design. The arms can be swapped as a whole for quick servicing and maintenance. The landing gear can be configured as a long leg set up, short leg set up, fixed landing gear and a tripod mounted landing system to assist the aircraft when landing on moving or uneven surfaces.

The larger payload capacity allows for more features and sensors to be added too, which can be needed for specific operational needs and as legislation evolves.

Individual user specifications can be applied at the point of order or can be made to order later on, providing maximum flexibility for our customers and their constantly growing list of requirements.





Great design, endurance and weather resistance

The aircraft is constructed from parts carefully selected for maximum efficiency and performance.

Every carbon fibre parts ensures the chassis is as lightweight and robust as possible.

The Dark Matter hX and qD Gen 3 aerodynamic shape also ensure optimal flight time of up to 84 minutes (with biggest battery and smallest payload).

Electronics components have been tested in harsh conditions to ensure robustness to the elements and metal CNC machined parts are made of aerospace grade aluminium.

The aircraft can be relied upon in wide operational conditions, with great resistance to strong wind and rain  and can be flown on GPS or manually, even in GNSS denied environment.
The aircraft and long range controller are housed in a weatherproof flightcase for easy transportation.





Safety as a top priority

Whilst we have pushed the envelope in terms of performance and reliability, we have also but a huge focus on safety for the aircraft.
The navigation lights make the aircraft conspicuous by cleverly dispersing the light. We also have a green flashing light for night flying and Remote-ID options as necessary by legislation.
All our aircraft come with dual GPS modules as standard to offer GNSS redundancy.
The autopilot module also has three temperature controlled IMUs and two onboard barometers.

We have refined our landing gear retract system to ensure flawless results even while carrying heavy payloads.
The entire system from airframe to each individual component has been intentionally over-engineered to ensure our platforms can be as safe and reliable as possible for our pilots. 
ADS-B options are available for our aircraft too. This, along with the improved lighting, allows the aircraft to be as conspicuous and as visible as possible to both local aircraft and ATC.

 We can also integrate various parachutes and this extra safety feature is on top of the redundant six motor set-up of our hexacopter.



GCS flexibility

Our Dark Matter aircraft are all Ardupilot based, harnessing the potential of an open source platform being developed by a global community.
With this, comes maximum flexibility for our customers, as some of the most popular GCS platforms are supported by our aircraft.

Our controller options tend to be android based, and offer radio frequency redundancy  and a radio line of sight communication of up to 40km.

Want to know more?

At Akhter-Clogworks we pride ourselves on being able to deliver bespoke solutions for our customers.

Want to see what we can do for your operation? Do you have any specific questions around our products?

Email us at info@clogworks.com or call us on 0330 0432714 and one of the team members will be more than happy to help.

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