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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 long range
A long-range drone needs two things the spec sheet rarely ties together: transmission range and enough real endurance to use it. Picks are ranked by rated transmission range, and every pick shows the modelled flight time at a 12 mph cruise wind so you can see whether the range is actually flyable.
Ranked by rated transmission range; only drones modelled to hold at least 10 minutes at a 12 mph cruise wind qualify. The modelled time is shown per pick.
| # | Drone | Use-case spec | Modelled — 15 °C, 12 mph wind, sea level | Modelled — mild (20 °C, 5 mph) | Retained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk — full specifications | 22000000 km range | 1789 min | 1805 min | 99% |
| 2 | Sikorsky MATRIX Technology (UH-60) — full specifications | 500000 km range | 133 min | 135 min | 99% |
| 3 | Kaman K-MAX — full specifications | 400000 km range | 133 min | 135 min | 99% |
| 4 | IAI Heron — full specifications | 350000 km range | 2533 min | 2556 min | 99% |
| 5 | Elbit Systems Hermes 900 — full specifications | 350000 km range | 1959 min | 1987 min | 99% |
| 6 | IAI Searcher Mk II — full specifications | 200000 km range | 1129 min | 1141 min | 99% |
| 7 | Elbit Systems Hermes 450 — full specifications | 200000 km range | 1097 min | 1113 min | 99% |
| 8 | IAI Bird Eye 650D — full specifications | 150000 km range | 789 min | 811 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.