The world of quadcopters and even octocopters is one of the immense technological marvels. Drones have been serving civilian and military usage for years, but in recent years, we’ve seen RC drones grow larger and larger.
Despite this, defining which drone is currently the world’s biggest is a debatable question. While there are some honorable contenders, only one comes out on top. Unfortunately, you can’t buy it for yourself.
We’ve pulled some of the most exciting stories about massive RC drones worldwide. You might be surprised at what some of these drones can do!
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What Makes Large Drones Appealing?
Besides being eye-catching and a staple piece for many hobbyists, large drones have many different factors that make them appealing.
For one, large drones offer you the ability to fly higher, longer, and lift heavier gear. These drones may be the perfect option for professional photographers to get that perfect shot you otherwise would have never dreamed of getting.
What defines “large” is pretty subjective. If you’re just getting into the hobby of flying drones, 12 inches may seem huge. Alternatively, some of the largest drones on the market have a wingspan of over 40 inches.
Usually, the larger drones are reserved for professionals. We wouldn’t recommend investing in such a large quadcopter unless you’re experienced since it could be a waste of money should you still be learning how to fly it and damage an expensive piece of technology.
The Divine Eagle
Currently, the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle, the Project 973 Shenying, or Divine Eagle, has a wingspan of just about 50 meters. The vehicle can provide minotaur stealth fighters over long distances and can operate high-altitude.
There is little other information available about The Divine Eagle due to its nature as a military project. It’s likely able to fly at a maximum speed of Mach .08 and probably has one engine.
China’s Divine Eagle is likely able to soar as high as 79,000 feet, while the largest US UAV can fly only 57,000 feet high.
This isn’t due to a lack of trying on the part of the USA. While the Divine Eagle was designed to detect stealth fighters and bombers, the US Global Hawk was designed for reconnaissance and looking for on-the-ground targets.
The Boeing Prototype
Boeing has created one of the world’s largest drones and is one of the biggest designed specifically for use by the general public. This cargo drone prototyped by Boeing offers one solution to commercial shipping.
Shipping? Yeah, the world’s biggest RC drone clocks in at 15 feet long, 18 feet wide, and over 700 pounds. Despite its hefty weight, it can carry an additional 500 pounds of cargo and fly at top speeds of 70 miles per hour.
What makes this drone stand out is how it flies. Boeing purchased the company Aurora Flight Sciences, an autonomous flight development company, and used said technology to make this 700-pound-beast entirely self-flying.
Boeing believes that drones like this are one solution to help solve shipping issues worldwide. It would be able to fly from distribution warehouses to stores, allowing for quick and easy shipments.
The future possibilities are endless. These drones could even assist in moving equipment to remote locations like oil rigs without a single pilot. This Boeing drone was one part of a shift away from military technology into more consumer-based technologies.
While it may not be the world’s biggest drone as of this moment, it may be the drone to make the most significant impact societally.
The Largest Drone On The Market
Unfortunately, you can’t own any of the drones we’ve mentioned. All exist either in prototype forms or for use by specific military facilities.
So what do you do if you want a huge drone for yourself? The largest drone available as of January 2021 is the Matrice 600.
The Matrice 600 can fly at heights of over 8,200 feet and fly at speeds of over 40 miles per hour. It can carry about 13 pounds worth of cargo and can be flown for 16 minutes at a time.
What makes The Matrice 600 unique is that it can be operated anywhere within 16,404 feet away from the operator and has a wingspan of 44.6 feet.
It was designed for aerial photography and for use in the industrial sector, so the fact that it can carry 13 pounds makes a lot of sense. Because it was designed with photography in mind, it’s compatible with Lightbridge 2 software and can support 1080p video and 720p broadcast. You can even use DJI’s Go app to control ISO, shutter speed, and photo/video capture. It has a built-in camera and can be used with multiple other professional cameras.
The only downfall is the price tag. Available for $3,999, it isn’t something that can be picked up cheap and easy for the average hobbyist.
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