Drone maker Dzyne Technologies LLC says its ULTRA Turbo unmanned aircraft has set a new benchmark for high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities.
The drone stayed aloft for two and a half days at 25,000 feet at a speed equivalent to about 115 miles per hour, Dzyne said. That will allow military leaders, researchers and rescue teams more flexibility in watching the Earth and seas from above.
“Multi-day persistence enables missions that shorter-duration manned and unmanned aircraft simply cannot sustain,” Dzyne CEO Matthew McCue told the Business Journal on Feb. 6.
That eliminates coverage gaps and reduces the number of aircraft and crews required.
Dzyne said the flight was “record-setting” for Group 5 drones, those weighing more than 1,320 pounds at takeoff. Dzyne did not say when or where the flight took place.
The Irvine-based company developed Ultra—Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft—in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for Rapid Innovation as part of a simpler and cheaper alternative for pure reconnaissance missions.
Dzyne, Anduril, Mach Industries
Dzyne has helped put Orange County on the map for drone and drone defense work, along with Palmer Luckey’s Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa and Ethan Thornton’s Mach Industries in Huntington Beach.
Dzyne’s offerings also include the gun-shaped anti-drone device, Dronebuster.
The company’s major customers include the U.S. military as well as overseas buyers.
Ultra supports a wide range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; illicit fishing detection; border and maritime security; wildfire monitoring, law enforcement; environmental information gathering, and disaster-response assessments.
Industry website Aerospace Global News said each ULTRA Turbo is estimated to cost around $8 million to $9 million.
McCue did not confirm or deny those numbers, saying the “pricing varies based on configuration, sensors and customer requirements.”
Ultra costs a fraction of the total system cost of comparable manned or unmanned platforms, according to McCue.
Military, Homeland Security
“ULTRA Turbo is currently in advanced development and testing, and we are seeing strong interest across U.S. military, homeland security, law‑enforcement, and international security organizations,” McCue said.
McCue said the company isn’t announcing specific contracts at this time, but the company is “actively engaged with multiple domestic and foreign government agencies” that are evaluating ULTRA Turbo for various missions.
In 2024, Dzyne moved into a 125,000-square-foot facility in the Irvine Spectrum area as it seeks more contracts with the Defense Department.
