Despite years of development and ongoing developments, the battery industry can only offer about 25 minutes of flight duration for standard multi-rotors. But there are options that can provide a longer flight time for outdoor operations, such as hybrid drones.

Virginia-based Advanced Aircraft Company has come up with a Hybrid Advanced Multi-Rotor or HAMR that can hover for 6 times more than its battery-powered counterparts. The drone is equipped with an electronic fuel-injected Pegasus Aeronautics GE35 engine, which powers an onboard generator.

In turn, that generator charges an integrated 12S 55C 3300 mAh backup battery which powers six electrical motors attached to the propellers. This is enough for the drone to stay up for 3.5 hours on a 100 oz (3 liters) tank of fuel. If the user wishes to boost its flight time, there is an optional fuel tank that can be added.

On top of flying for hours at a time, it can also be set up in less than four minutes. Capable of ascending 400 feet…

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Source: www.autoevolution.com