The advertised performance metrics of two drones by SiFly are beyond anything currently on the market — boasting superior battery life, range, payload capacity and cost. The company claims its pricing undercuts even Chinese competitors in the same categories. 

“After thousands of flight tests and years of engineering, SiFly is ready to introduce a new category of vertical takeoff, long-endurance drones,” the company states on its website. “Our NDAA-compliant drones are engineered to deliver helicopter-level performance, extended endurance and advanced autonomy — but at a fraction of the cost and operational burden of traditional helicopters.” 

The two models, designed for commercial use, are expected to launch in phases. The smaller drone, the Q12, is scheduled for release later this year. The larger Q250 will follow in 2026, according to the company, which is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. 

The Q12 boasts a three-hour battery life, a 90-mile range, a top speed of 55 mph, and a 10-pound payload capacity. Potential use cases include firefighting, search-and-rescue, emergency response, perimeter and border security, environmental monitoring, mapping and surveying, and applications in agriculture, construction, mining and infrastructure inspection. 

The Q250 is designed for heavier-duty tasks, with a one-hour and 40-minute battery life, 85-mile range, 100-mph top speed and a payload capacity of 237 pounds. That capacity, the company says, enables the Q250 to handle “diverse missions from logistics and firefighting to disaster relief and infrastructure support.” The company describes the drone as “flexible and powerful,” with capabilities that “unlock helicopter-level performance for every industrial drone mission.” 

Both drones rely on 5G networks for control, rather than traditional line-of-sight radio transmission — a significant distinction in the rapidly evolving unmanned aerial systems (UAS) landscape. 

The Federal Aviation Administration is actively working with the drone industry to safely integrate 5G technology into operations. The goal is to allow drones to travel Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), a regulatory frontier that remains promising but also with risk. 

The FAA notes that drones operating outside the controller’s visual range pose significant dangers, especially near commercial flight paths or overpopulated areas. But advocates say 5G-enabled BVLOS operations could enhance reliability, data transmission and situational awareness — paving the way for safe coordination between manned and unmanned aircraft. 

“The use of UAS continues to grow and evolve globally,” reads a recent FAA statement. “The technology has proven to provide many societal and economic benefits, and can be used as a critical tool to support numerous use cases and public safety efforts. These include, but are not limited to, inspections of critical infrastructure, industrial applications, and the delivery of medical supplies and packages.” 

The statement continues: “UAS technology has proven to be a key component in supporting disaster recovery, wildfire response, and search-and-rescue missions. The co-chairs of the UAS-BVLOS ARC were proud to lead conversations around the technical and regulatory challenges toward safely integrating UAS into the National Airspace System.” 

But the FAA also acknowledges the limits of existing policy frameworks. 

”It has become evident that the current aviation regulatory framework is not capable of accommodating UAS operations at existing levels — and certainly not at the levels anticipated as the industry grows,” the agency stated. “Consequently, regulatory changes are necessary to support industry growth. Now is the time to take progressive and deliberate steps toward creating scalable UAS BVLOS rules and pathways to support complex operations.” 

Whether SiFly can deliver on its sweeping promises remains to be seen, and besting Chinese manufacturers will be difficult. That country is the leading supplier of drones, and has about 15,000 companies in the industry, with a combined annual output of $2.2 billion, according to the Shenzhen Drone Association.

The world’s largest drone manufacturer, DJI, with approximately 70% of the market, is one of 1,300 drone companies based in Shenzhen.