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Calculate accurate flight times for your drone based on real-world conditions including wind, temperature, altitude, and terrain.
Drone Database / Best for high altitude
Launching in the mountains means thinner air (less propeller thrust per watt), colder batteries, and a service ceiling that actually matters. Every drone here is rated to at least 10,000 ft, and picks are ordered by modelled flight time at an 8,000 ft launch elevation.
Ranked by modelled flight time at an 8,000 ft launch. Only drones with a rated service ceiling of 10,000 ft (≈3,048 m) or higher qualify.
| # | Drone | Use-case spec | Modelled — 5 °C, 12 mph wind, 8,000 ft elevation | Modelled — mild (20 °C, 5 mph) | Retained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IAI Heron — full specifications | 10,000 m ceiling | 2472 min | 2556 min | 97% |
| 2 | General Atomics Gray Eagle Extended Range — full specifications | 8,870 m ceiling | 2188 min | 2638 min | 83% |
| 3 | Elbit Systems Hermes 900 — full specifications | 9,100 m ceiling | 1886 min | 1987 min | 95% |
| 4 | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk — full specifications | 18,000 m ceiling | 1739 min | 1805 min | 96% |
| 5 | Northrop Grumman RQ-180 — full specifications | 18,288 m ceiling | 1572 min | 1656 min | 95% |
| 6 | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk — full specifications | 19,812 m ceiling | 1521 min | 1625 min | 94% |
| 7 | Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton — full specifications | 15,240 m ceiling | 1255 min | 1324 min | 95% |
| 8 | IAI Searcher Mk II — full specifications | 7,300 m ceiling | 1107 min | 1141 min | 97% |
Minutes are modelled by the site's physics engine (ISA air density at the scenario elevation, boundary-layer turbulence at a representative 400 ft AGL cruise, battery temperature efficiency) from each manufacturer's rated baseline — the same engine that powers the flight calculator. See the methodology. "Retained" is the use-case scenario time as a share of the mild-conditions time for the same drone.
This hub is generated from our drone database of 489 models: drones that fail the use-case requirements (rated operating range, service ceiling, transmission range, weight class) are excluded, the rest are ranked by the modelled numbers above — there is no editorial re-ordering and no sponsored placement.