Highest-flying UAVs
71 of the 113 UAVs in the WeaponSpecs database publish a service ceiling figure, and the top 25 are listed here. Ranked on the published number alone, highest first, with no weighting and no composite score. The 42 UAVs with no published figure are not ranked, absent data is never treated as a low value.
| # | System | Service ceiling | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zephyr | 23,200 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-26 |
| 2 | RQ-4 Global Hawk | 18,288 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-01 |
| 3 | WZ-7 † | 18,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 4 | MQ-4C Triton | 16,800 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 5 | Avenger (Predator C) | 15,500 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 6 | MQ-9A Reaper | 15,240 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-01 |
| 7 | Fury (YFQ-44A) | 15,240 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 8 | X-BAT | 15,240 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-08-03 |
| 9 | GJ-11 † | 15,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 10 | WJ-700 (Falcon) † | 15,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-24 |
| 11 | Heron TP | 13,716 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 12 | Bayraktar Kizilelma | 13,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 13 | MQ-9B SkyGuardian | 12,200 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 14 | Bayraktar Akinci | 12,192 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-05 |
| 15 | CH-6 (Caihong-6) † | 12,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-24 |
| 16 | Anka-3 | 12,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 17 | Sokil-300 | 12,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-30 |
| 18 | Super Heron | 10,500 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 19 | Hermes 900 | 9,144 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 20 | Heron 1 | 9,144 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 21 | Milkor 380 | 9,144 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-08-22 |
| 22 | ANKA-S | 9,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-01 |
| 23 | Wing Loong II † | 9,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-01 |
| 24 | Aksungur | 9,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
| 25 | CH-5 (Caihong-5) † | 9,000 m | reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02 |
Compiled from public manufacturer, defense-ministry and reference sources. Published defense figures are approximations and are often stated under different conditions, so treat this ordering as directional rather than a tested result. A board is only generated where at least 5 systems in the class publish the figure. How we compile specs →
Other UAVs rankings
Service ceiling in other classes