How high do military drones fly? A look at height limits

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The United States Armed Forces have gradually transitioned from traditional manned vehicles such as fighter jets to drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), reducing risks in combat missions. When a drone is shot out of the sky, there is no danger to life, which is quite ideal. However, engaging enemy units is not the only mission drones undertake. They are also used for reconnaissance missions, collecting information about rivals via onboard cameras and sending it back to base. When the military chooses a UAV to adopt, a number of aspects are considered.

No drone is built the same. Some UAVs are the size of fighter jets and designed for combat and a variety of other missions, while others can be carried in a backpack and have a single purpose. The speed at which a drone can fly is important when choosing a drone to add to the military’s arsenal, but just as important is the maximum ceiling. The higher an aircraft can fly, especially if it is built for surveillance, the better view it can have of its target below. Reaching certain heights can provide a significant advantage, from not being seen by ground troops to having a clear line of sight to a target. Additionally, higher altitude can help drones avoid detection. So let’s take a look at some drones and the maximum height they can reach.

Northrop Grumman is building some high-flying drones

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Some drone data is not explicitly stated by the manufacturers – probably to protect sensitive data or national security – but they sometimes provide a rough estimate. Northrop Grumman has quite a few drones in the field, so let’s take a look at the machines they sell. Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton, “…can fly at altitudes greater than 50,000 feet, which is significantly higher than commercial aviation or medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) aircraft.” It is designed for high-altitude surveillance, making such a high altitude necessary.

The defense contractor does not list the maximum altitude for its RQ-4 Global Hawk, but the USAF does. According to the USAFhe can fly as high as 60,000 feet, which is just under 12 miles. Northrop Grumman’s RQ-180 drone, which is similar in design to the B-21 Raider, is designed for stealth and reconnaissance, which means it needs to be able to fly high enough to gather intelligence, and it achieves that. It can reach an altitude of 75,000 feet, giving it a clear view of the ground for hundreds of miles. It’s not a very large plane – only a 65-foot wingspan – making it difficult to see with the naked eye.

Finally there is Grumman’s X-47B drone, designed as an attack fighter for the US Navy. It can travel as high as 40,000 feet. There are no plans to make the X-47 operational, but it will support the Navy in its plans for future carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

Other manufacturers build drones that can go just as high

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The most recognizable UAV used by the USAF is the MQ-9 Reaper, built by General Atomics. While its primary mission is to keep tabs on unsuspecting targets, it can also be armed with laser-guided missiles for cases where a precision strike is necessary. The maximum ceiling is 50,000 feet. The other UAV that General Atomics is supplying to the military is the MQ-20 Avenger. This drone, like the Reaper, can fulfill various roles, from surveillance to attack missions. General Atomics designed it to fly at medium to high altitudes, with a ceiling of 15,000 feet. You can’t forget Lockheed Martin, who designed and built several aircraft for the US military, such as the SR-71 spy plane.

Lockheed’s experience building such an iconic spy plane likely came in handy when it set out to design the RQ-170 Sentinel. The USAF is testing the Sentinel system to provide real-time photos it can take at an altitude of 50,000 feet. One of the lesser known manufacturers here is Skydio, from which the Skydio X2 drone is built. This is a short-range drone used by the US military that is small enough to be carried by hand by soldiers. Due to its small stature, it doesn’t reach the same altitude as the aforementioned drones, but it can reach a relatively modest altitude of 1,500 feet.