This long-endurance ISR drone could steal missions from the MQ-9 Reaper
February 5, 2026
DZYNE has announced its ULTRA recon drone has set a new 60-hour endurance record, meaning the aircraft was able to stay aloft for 2.5 days. ULTRA is built to complement aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper and plug a gap in USAF capabilities.
ULTRA Turbo sets new 60-hour record at 100 knots
Yesterday, the US defence contractor, DZYNE Technologies, announced its flagship ULTRA Turbo had completed “a mission-representative flight achieving 60 hours at 25,000 feet altitude and 100 knots true airspeed (KTAS).”
The development set a new benchmark for Group 5 UAS flight endurance and makes the ULTRA Turbo one of the most persistent airborne capabilities the US Air Force has at its disposal.
Ed Smetak, the EVP of Programs at DZYNE Technologies, said it, “strengthens the foundation of our long-endurance aircraft portfolio by delivering the persistent reach, sensing, and responsiveness that modern mission networks depend on as they evolve toward more distributed concepts of operation.”
The 'undisclosed location' is Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE. The ULTRA drone can be seen in one of the photos occupying hangar 5 which was used to house global hawks in the past. https://t.co/MrAs3qvnO2 pic.twitter.com/BOgORmaXUc
— IntelWalrus (@IntelWalrus) May 8, 2024
DZYNE Technologies said the new record highlights the company’s ability to develop the aircraft at speed and showcases the aircraft’s higher cruise speeds with superior headwind penetration.
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Built to plug a notable USAF capability gap
One of the most important roles of UAVs is reconnaissance; after all, this was the first role of aircraft in warfare.
During GWOT and to today, one of the main US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft has been the MQ-9 Reaper. The aircraft is a very capable aircraft and is being ordered by India and various other export customers around the world.
However, the MQ-9 Reaper is also extremely vulnerable, with many Reaper drones reportedly shotdown by Houthis in Yemen over the last few years. With a price tag of around $30 million each, or half the cost of an F-16, these are not disposable platforms.
DZYNE Technologies developed ULTRA (Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft) in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory as part of a simpler and cheaper alternative for pure reconnaissance missions.
It is designed to “deliver strategic reach at tactical cost.” ULTRA is estimated to cost around $8 or $9 million each.
Taking over some missions from MQ-9 Predator
DZYNE says ULTRA Turbo is GPS-hardened, enabling it to operate in signal-jammed contested environments. It also has multi-mission payload support for ISR, Electronic Warfare, communications, and launched effects.
DZYNE claims that ULTRA has the endurance capability “exceeding 80 hours while carrying over 400 pounds of payload.” It’s unclear if that has been demonstrated, given the current 60-hour record.
RQ-9 Reaper drones have an endurance of around 27 hours, although that extends significantly with the latest variants and lighter loads.
The contractor says it has uses for homeland security and commercial sectors as well as defence. It says it can patrol borders, monitor oil and gas infrastructure, conduct agricultural assessments, and more.
The company also offers the Dronebuster DTIM kit portable anti-drone system, as well as the Sawtooth counter-drone platform.
In May 2024, The War Zone reported that Ultra was operating for the US Air Force from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. It was seen in a hangar that previously housed RQ-4 Global Hawk ISR drones.
Featured Image: US Air Force
