Drones Modern Flying News

SiFly Shatters Drone Endurance Record

Company’s all-electric Q12 completes a 3-hour, 11-minute flight, beating the previous benchmark by nearly one hour.

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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SiFly’s Q12 completed a 3-hour, 11-minute flight to claim the Guinness World Record for longest flight by an electric drone. [Courtesy: SiFly]

Key Takeaways:

SiFly set a new Guinness World Record with its Q12 electric drone, achieving a 3-hour, 11-minute flight, significantly surpassing the previous record for a 5-20 kg drone.
This endurance breakthrough is crucial as the FAA finalizes new Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulations (Part 108), enabling more expansive commercial drone operations that require extended flight times.
SiFly achieved this by optimizing traditional quadcopter design through a high battery weight fraction (60%) and aerodynamically efficient, large, multi-bladed propellers to deliver "helicopter performance with drone economics."
The Q12 and its planned larger counterpart (Q250) are targeted for diverse applications in agriculture and public safety, including mapping, wildfire mitigation, Drone as First Responder programs, and medical delivery.

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As the FAA nears a final rule on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations that could unlock more expansive commercial missions, a California-based startup has set a new benchmark for the longest flight of a prototype electric drone weighing 5-20 kilograms.

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) developer SiFly, which emerged from stealth in May, this week said Guinness World Records validated a 3-hour, 11-minute flight of its Q12 drone, eclipsing the previous high by nearly one hour. With the record-setting flight, the company believes it is close to unlocking the full potential of quadcopters, which are characterized by a quartet of rotors.

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.