SiFly Shatters Guinness World Record with 3-Hour Electric Drone Flight – sUAS News

SiFly, a leading developer of long-endurance electric unmanned aerial systems, announced today that it has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest duration flight of an electrically powered prototype multirotor/drone (5 – 20 kg). Conducted on July 26, 2025, at Amaral Ranches in California’s Salinas Valley, the record-setting Q12 drone flight eclipsed the previous benchmark by nearly an hour, cementing SiFly’s position at the forefront of next-generation aerial technology.

To comply with Guinness World Records’ rigorous validation requirements, the flight was documented by eight official witnesses along with extensive video and photographic evidence. Among the witnesses were Paul Baker, Distinguished Engineer at Apple and Chris Silva, Research Aerospace Engineer at NASA Ames.

The record-setting flight was achieved using SiFly’s patented Q12 system, a next-generation vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone designed to unlock long duration hover flights along with long range forward flight operations. This achievement underscores the Q12’s capacity to support missions that demand a persistent aerial presence, such as Drone-as-First Responder (DFR) programs, large-scale surveying, and extended infrastructure inspections.

“This world record goes far beyond endurance—it signals a fundamental shift in what’s possible for drones,” said Brian Hinman, Founder & CEO of SiFly. “With helicopter-level performance at drone economics, the Q12 creates entirely new markets, redefining industry expectations. Our growing order book already validates that customers see the value. We believe this achievement will inspire a new wave of innovation, transforming drones from niche devices into essential tools.”

Q12 Key Capabilities:

• 2 hours of continuous hover
• Over 3 hours of forward flight
• 10-pound payload capacity
• 90-mile flight range
• Modular, all-electric architecture

Proven Demand, Expanding Market

The industrial drone market is projected to exceed $35 billion by 2030, unlocked by new capability beyond the limits of today’s drone systems. These performance improvements include extended hover, heavy payload, and long-range operations building a disruptive technology competitive against the light helicopter market.

SiFly’s Q12 combines helicopter-level performance with drone economics to create a powerful new long-endurance drone category. This breakthrough positions SiFly to tap significant latent demand from existing drone users while capturing missions traditionally dominated by helicopters—unlocking a combined market opportunity.

With the FAA’s recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Part 108 Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) operations, the Q12’s unmatched endurance, extended range, and rapid response capabilities position it as a cornerstone technology for the new class of commercial and public safety missions these rules are expected to enable.

Market response has been swift and decisive. Within just 90 days of emerging from stealth mode, SiFly secured pre-orders and LOIs for hundreds of Q12 units, driven by strong interest from public safety, infrastructure inspection, mapping, and agriculture customers, ahead of initial deliveries planned for early 2026.

Discover how SiFly is reshaping aerial operations—schedule your demonstration at www.sifly.co.

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