A new drone company has exploded out of stealth mode in the USA with incredible claims about its first product, saying it'll fly 4X longer, 10X further, 10X quieter and carry 5X more payload than leading competitors – while competing with China on cost.
Let's start with the numbers. Silicon Valley-based SiFly has announced two industrially targeted models with some absolutely ludicrous stats attached.
The smaller Q12 platform carries up to 10 lb (4.5 kg) of payload. It can hover for a remarkable two hours - or manage three hours in forward flight, for an operational range of 90 miles (145 km). The company says it's radically quieter than anything in its class as well, and "nearly silent at 100 meters" (328 ft). Deliveries are slated to begin at the end of the year.
The larger Q250 platform is built for heavy lift, and capable of carrying a 200 lb (90.7-kg) payload for 100 minutes of endurance. Set for launch in 2026, it's designed for fire suppression, cargo missions and crop spraying at a fraction of what the usual helicopter would cost.
"Commercial drones have long forced organizations to compromise between flight duration, payload capacity, and operational range," said Brian Hinman, Founder and CEO of SiFly, in a press release. "We eliminated those trade-offs. SiFly drones are transforming emergency response, infrastructure inspection, and logistics – delivering helicopter-class performance at drone economics."
The company says it's validated its performance claims in real-world operations, naming California's Amaral Ranches as an early pre-launch deployment partner.
The question of course is ... how? Drones are a well-understood technology now that's been dominated from the very beginning by Chinese companies. If SiFly's figures hold up and this company truly puts 4-10X multiples on these key performance stats, it's sitting on some revolutionary technology advances in energy storage, propulsion, aerodynamics and/or materials – areas that are already highly optimized after more than a decade of commercial and industrial drone development.
Annoyingly, there's nothing particularly revolutionary-looking in the renders, and SiFly has yet to explain exactly how it's achieved such a radical leap in performance – not to mention how it's managed to design and manufacture in the USA at prices competitive with Chinese competition. Or indeed, what these prices are. Which would give this company a strong whiff of vapor...
But former NASA Chief Technologist for On-Demand Mobility and current Whisper Aero CEO Mark Moore (who knows a thing or two about quiet propulsion systems at the very least) lends this group some third-party credibility in a LinkedIn post: "SiFly's reveal today is kinda breathtaking in terms of capabilities," he writes. "I've personally been able to see this drone develop through the years, and know the principals as serious players. The specifications they've achieved are really impressive, from the empty weight fraction to the cruise Lift/Drag - this is the best multicopter out there, by far. And while they don't hype it up, they've designed this product to be affordable so that it can be used en masse as a swarming solution. Well worth a watch. Well worth the money. Awesome job!"
We'll reach out to the the company to learn more – but in the meanwhile, what are your bets on the technological leaps involved here? See you in the comments section!
Source: SiFly
