What SiFly does

SiFly Aviation, Inc. is a Santa Clara, California-based designer and manufacturer of long-endurance, NDAA-compliant autonomous VTOL rotorcraft, operating as SiFly since exiting stealth in May 2025. The company builds three platforms: the Q12 long-endurance quadcopter (up to 3 hours of forward flight, 60 mph, 120-mile range, 10 lb payload) for data collection and payload delivery; the Q250 heavy-lift rotorcraft (>100 minute flight, 100 mph, 85-mile range, 237 lb payload, IP55) for cargo, logistics, firefighting, and disaster relief; and DronePort, a containerized multi-drone infrastructure node supporting four concurrent aircraft with a 2-minute turnaround and a stated 5x coverage / up to 10x lower deployment cost versus traditional dock-based systems. All platforms share multi-layered autonomy (onboard AI compute, optical detect-and-avoid, ADS-B In, Remote ID, dual RTK), a cloud-native networking architecture with bonded 5G/Wi-Fi/Sub-GHz HaLow connectivity, and NDAA-compliant bill of materials, validated externally by a Guinness World Record 3-hour 11-minute electric flight achieved by the Q12 on August 19, 2025.

The commercial model is a direct enterprise and government sales motion with website-based preorders, undisclosed list pricing, and multi-year contracting. The Q12 is scheduled to begin deliveries in 2026, the Q250 in 2027, and DronePort preorders are open with initial deployments expected later in 2026. Target customer segments are public safety (Drone-as-First Responder, fire, search and rescue), infrastructure inspection (utilities, pipelines, rail, renewables), agriculture intelligence, and heavy-lift logistics, addressed in part through integrations with Versaterm/DroneSense (public safety mission software), Taranis (AI crop intelligence), and ADS-B Exchange (airspace awareness). Indirect go-to-market leverage is amplified by macro tailwinds: FCC actions restricting new authorizations for foreign-made drones and SiFly's NDAA-compliant U.S. manufacturing create a structural bid for federal and defense procurement.

The company is privately held, headquartered at 3350 Scott Blvd Bldg 39-01 in Santa Clara, has 11-50 employees, and is led by Founder & CEO Brian Hinman, SVP Software Engineering Tayyar Guzel PhD, Chief Revenue Officer David Mazar, and COO Logan Jones. No funding round sizes, investor identities, revenue, or backlog figures are disclosed in available sources; pricing is on application via the sales team for all three products.

Name

SiFly

Legal name

SiFly Aviation, Inc.

Website

https://sifly.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SiFly Aviation designs and manufactures NDAA-compliant long-endurance autonomous VTOL drones — the Q12, Q250 heavy-lift, and DronePort infrastructure platform — for enterprise and government customers in public safety, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, and logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft (3721)

akta.pro primary industry

VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA), UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO), UAS Launch/Recovery & Support Equipment (Catapults, Nets, Docking) (IMABAIAN)

Keywords

• Long-endurance drones
• VTOL rotorcraft
• Autonomous aerial systems
• Heavy-lift UAVs
• BVLOS drone platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Drone Hardware Sales: SiFly generates revenue primarily through sales of its Q12 and Q250 drone platforms. The Q12 starts deliveries in 2026 and Q250 is planned for 2027 release. Preorders are currently open.
2. Payload and Accessory Sales: Swappable payloads including EO/IR cameras, LIDAR, multispectral sensors, cargo containers, AED, spotlight, and OGI sensors provide additional revenue opportunities
3. DronePort Infrastructure: DronePort multi-drone infrastructure platform provides recurring infrastructure sales opportunity with deployments expected later in 2026

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SiFly designs, manufactures, and sells long-endurance, NDAA-compliant autonomous VTOL rotorcraft drones and supporting infrastructure. Its product family comprises the Q12 long-endurance data-collection/payload drone (up to 3 hours flight, 10 lb payload), the Q250 heavy-lift cargo drone (100+ min flight, 237 lb payload) positioned to replace light utility helicopters, and the DronePort multi-drone aerial infrastructure platform that automates launch, recovery, charging, and mission control. Offerings are sold direct to enterprise and government customers in public safety, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, mapping, and logistics.

Product overview

SiFly is a U.S.-based manufacturer of long-endurance, NDAA-compliant autonomous VTOL rotorcraft for enterprise and public safety. Its product family comprises three distinct platforms: the Q12 is a fully-electric long-endurance drone (up to 3 hours flight, 10 lbs payload) for data collection, ISR, and payload delivery missions; the Q250 is a heavy-lift cargo drone (>100 min flight, 237 lbs payload) positioned to replace light utility helicopters; and DronePort is a multi-drone infrastructure platform enabling simultaneous launch, recovery, and management of up to 4 aircraft from a single node. All platforms share a common cloud-native architecture, onboard AI compute, and BVLOS-ready autonomy, and are marketed as delivering helicopter-level performance at drone economics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Q12 A fully-electric, long-endurance VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) quadcopter drone for enterprise and public-safety missions including data collection, ISR, payload delivery, and multi-mission industrial operations. Delivers 2+ hours in hover and up to 3 hours (180 min) in forward flight, 60 mph top speed, 120-mile range, 10 lb payload, NDAA compliance, BVLOS-ready architecture, and deploys from transport to takeoff in under 5 minutes.
• Q250 A fully-electric, heavy-lift VTOL rotorcraft designed to replace light utility helicopters for cargo, logistics, firefighting, and disaster-relief missions. Delivers more than 100 minutes of flight time, 100 mph top speed, 85-mile range, 237 lb payload capacity, IP55 weather rating, NDAA compliance, and an emergency safe descent system. Marketed as the lowest cost-per-hour heavy-lift platform in its class.
• DronePort A multi-drone aerial infrastructure platform that consolidates launch, recovery, charging, mission control, and maintenance inside a single 20-foot containerized node. Supports up to 4 concurrent drone missions with 50-mile coverage per node, 2-minute turnaround via automated battery swap, and a single parking-spot footprint — delivering 5x greater operational coverage and up to 10x lower deployment cost versus traditional dock-based deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5x greater operational coverage per DronePort node at up to 10x lower deployment cost
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ADS-B ExchangecoreTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Partnership enabling SiFly's Q12 drones to appear within ADS-B Exchange's live airspace displays, creating a unified view of both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The integration allows Q12 operations to be visible through secure cloud connectivity, supporting scalable BVLOS operations and real-time telemetry sharing across aviation. This partnership demonstrates that airspace integration can be implemented using existing systems without waiting for future infrastructure frameworks.
• TaraniscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Joint 2026 Field Validation Program combining SiFly's Q12 drone (up to 3 hours flight time with advanced sensor payloads) with Taranis AI-powered crop intelligence. The program assesses how extended autonomous flight combined with AI-based agronomic analysis can improve efficiency and scalability of crop data collection across large U.S. agricultural regions during the 2026 growing season under real-world conditions.
• Versaterm (DroneSense)coreTechnology or Integration · 17 December 2025Integration of SiFly's Q12 long-endurance drone with Versaterm's DroneSense software platform to support public safety operations including Drone as First Responder programs, search and rescue, and tactical missions. The Q12 can fly for up to three hours at speeds above 60 mph and, when paired with DroneSense, enables agencies to stream live video to command staff and coordinate across multiple agencies from a shared interface.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Skydio: U.S.-based manufacturer of autonomous small drones widely used in public safety, inspection, and defense. Skydio is the most direct U.S. competitor to SiFly's Q12 — both target enterprise/public-safety BVLOS missions with NDAA-compliant, autonomy-first airframes.
• BRINC Drones: U.S.-made drone maker specializing in public safety, SWAT, and emergency response — overlapping with SiFly's DFR and tactical-mission use cases. Both companies pitch NDAA-compliant hardware to law enforcement and first-responder agencies.
• Percepto: Provider of autonomous industrial drone-in-a-box solutions for inspection and monitoring of critical infrastructure (utilities, mining, oil & gas). Competes directly with the DronePort + Q12 stack for infrastructure-inspection BVLOS deployments.
• Easy Aerial: U.S.-based developer of autonomous drone-in-a-box systems used for perimeter security, defense, and public safety. Closely comparable to SiFly's DronePort + Q12 combination for persistent autonomous site coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Anduril Industries: Defense-tech incumbent building autonomous UAS (e.g., Ghost/Lattice, Roadrunner, Bolt) for the U.S. military and allied governments. Competes with SiFly for defense ISR and BVLOS autonomy dollars but at a much broader portfolio and balance-sheet scale.
• Wing (Alphabet): Alphabet-owned drone delivery platform operating commercial BVLOS deliveries. Comparable to SiFly's Q250 heavy-lift ambitions in cargo/logistics, though Wing is more mature operationally and software-led versus SiFly's rotorcraft-from-scratch approach.
• Zipline: Operates one of the world's largest autonomous drone delivery networks for medical supplies and logistics. Comparable to SiFly's heavy-lift (Q250) and long-endurance ambitions in commercial cargo, especially via the Platform 2 P2 droid.
• DJI: Dominant global drone OEM across commercial and prosumer segments. SiFly explicitly positions against DJI as the U.S./NDAA-compliant alternative; DJI sets the price/performance benchmark SiFly must beat to win share.

Emerging players

• Matternet: U.S./Swiss operator of autonomous urban medical and parcel delivery drones. Comparable to SiFly's Q12/Q250 as an autonomy-first logistics UAV peer, though narrower in payload and mission scope.
• DroneDeploy: Leading drone data platform for mapping, inspection, and asset management across construction, agriculture, and energy. Comparable as a software/integration peer that SiFly partners compete alongside for enterprise drone workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@siflyaviation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sifly

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SiFly