The Best Armed Combat Drones of 2026, Ranked
Israel's Heron TP carries the heaviest weapons payload of any armed drone in our database at 2,700 kg, ahead of the MQ-9B and MQ-9A Reaper.
Via Wikipedia, IAI Eitan (shown for identification)
Israel’s Heron TP carries the heaviest weapons payload of any armed drone in our database, at 2,700 kg, roughly 59% more than the Chinese CH-5 and more than five times the Wing Loong II. That’s the headline number, but it isn’t the only axis that matters, and it isn’t the whole story on the Heron TP either: how far each drone can fly varies even more widely across this field, from the MQ-9A Reaper’s 1,850 km to the Heron TP’s own 7,400 km. Below is how six of the most consequential armed medium-altitude and high-altitude long-endurance (MALE/HALE) drones stack up on the two numbers that matter most for a strike platform: how much ordnance it can carry, and how far it can fly.
Which armed drone carries the most weight?
Ranked strictly by disclosed weapons payload, the order is Heron TP, MQ-9B SkyGuardian, MQ-9A Reaper, Bayraktar Akinci, CH-5, then Wing Loong II. The Heron TP’s 2,700 kg payload sits well above the American MQ-9B at 2,155 kg and the older MQ-9A Reaper at 1,700 kg, a gap that reflects the Heron TP’s larger airframe, originally built around a high-altitude reconnaissance mission before Israel Aerospace Industries added a strike role. The Akinci, Turkey’s newest heavy drone, carries 1,500 kg, ahead of China’s CH-5 at 1,000 kg and Wing Loong II at 480 kg, the lightest platform on this list by a wide margin.
Payload capacity mostly tracks airframe size and engine power, not a specific design philosophy, so it’s worth being cautious about reading too much strategic meaning into the ranking by itself. A drone with a bigger payload can carry more munitions per sortie, or the same munitions plus more fuel, sensors, or electronic warfare gear. What it can’t tell you is how often that drone can be in the air, which is where range and endurance come in.
Which armed drone flies the farthest?
The Heron TP leads here too, at about 7,400 km, which makes it the standout of this field: the platform with the heaviest payload also flies the farthest. Behind it sit three platforms clustered at roughly 6,000 km, the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, China’s CH-5, and Turkey’s Bayraktar Akinci, then the Wing Loong II at 4,000 km. The MQ-9A Reaper trails the field at 1,850 km, less than a third of the leader. The genuine trade-offs show up lower down the list: the Wing Loong II flies more than twice as far as the MQ-9A Reaper while carrying barely a quarter of its payload, and the Akinci matches the SkyGuardian on range while giving up roughly 650 kg of payload. Raw payload capacity and raw range are not the same competition, and a platform that wins one can still lose the other.
The full comparison
| Rank | Drone | Country | Weapons payload | Max range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heron TP | Israel | 2,700 kg | 7,400 km |
| 2 | MQ-9B SkyGuardian | United States | 2,155 kg | 6,000 km |
| 3 | MQ-9A Reaper | United States | 1,700 kg | 1,850 km |
| 4 | Bayraktar Akinci | Turkey | 1,500 kg | 6,000 km |
| 5 | CH-5 (Caihong-5) | China | 1,000 kg | 6,000 km |
| 6 | Wing Loong II | China | 480 kg | 4,000 km |
Where the Akinci fits
Turkey’s Bayraktar Akinci is the platform that most resists a single-number verdict. On Baykar’s own specification sheet it pairs a 6,000 km operational range, among the longest in the field and level with the MQ-9B and CH-5, with a 1,500 kg payload that sits mid-pack, and it does so as a twin-turboprop HALE airframe with a 20 m wingspan, a 40,000 ft service ceiling, and 24-plus hours of endurance. That combination is why it has drawn export interest from buyers who face restrictions or delays acquiring American systems: it is a genuinely long-range, heavy-endurance strike platform rather than the short-range tactical drone its smaller Bayraktar TB2 sibling is often mistaken for. When comparing any of these platforms, it’s worth checking which basis each “range” figure uses, since manufacturers variously report maximum ferry range, combat radius with a full weapons load, or a datalink-limited operational radius, and mixing those bases across sources is a common way spec tables end up misleading readers.
How reliable are the Chinese platform figures?
The CH-5 and Wing Loong II numbers in this table come from Chinese manufacturer and state-affiliated sources, and we treat them the same way we’d treat any single-source claim: plausible, but not independently verified. Unlike the Reaper family, which has accumulated a long combat and export record that outside analysts, allied militaries, and journalists have cross-checked over more than a decade, Chinese armed drones have a shorter and thinner independent track record. That doesn’t mean the figures are wrong. It means a 6,000 km range claim for the CH-5, identical to the MQ-9B’s figure, deserves the same skepticism you’d apply to any manufacturer’s brochure number until it’s demonstrated or corroborated by a party with no interest in the sale.
Export controls still shape who can actually buy these
Payload and range matter less than they might if a country can’t buy the drone in the first place. US export policy, including restrictions tied to the Missile Technology Control Regime, has historically limited MQ-9 Reaper sales to a short list of close allies, and the MQ-9B SkyGuardian variant was developed in part to navigate around some of those restrictions for NATO and partner air forces. Turkey’s Akinci and Israel’s Heron TP both sit somewhat outside that framework and have found buyers among countries that face restrictions or delays acquiring American systems. China markets the CH-5 and Wing Loong II more broadly still, often to buyers with fewer alternatives, which is part of why these platforms have spread despite the unresolved questions about their published specifications.
The bottom line
On the two headline numbers, the Heron TP leads both payload and range, but “best” still depends on the mission, because export access, endurance, sensor fit, and cost all move the answer well beyond what a two-column table can show. The roughly 6,000 km cluster of the MQ-9B, CH-5, and Akinci, the MQ-9A Reaper’s much shorter legs despite its solid payload, and the general uncertainty around Chinese-sourced numbers are all reminders that a spec table is a starting point for analysis, not a substitute for it. Run your own side-by-side comparison in the compare tool, browse the full UAV category to see how these six stack up against every other drone in the database, or use the Advisor to weigh payload against range against export realities for your own scenario. For more rankings and data breakdowns like this one, see the rest of the WeaponSpecs articles.
Systems in this comparison
Every system covered above, with its photo and, where available, a video. Tap a card to open the full spec sheet.
Compare these side by side →
UAV / drone
MQ-9B SkyGuardian
UAV / drone
MQ-9A Reaper
UAV / drone
Bayraktar Akinci
UAV / drone
CH-5 (Caihong-5)
UAV / drone
Wing Loong IIFrequently asked questions
What is the best armed drone in 2026? +
By weapons payload, Israel's Heron TP ranks first in our database at 2,700 kg, ahead of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian at 2,155 kg and the MQ-9A Reaper at 1,700 kg. But payload alone doesn't settle the question, range, export availability, and mission profile all shift which platform actually fits a given air force's needs.
Is payload or range more important for a combat drone? +
It depends on the mission. A strike platform loitering over a contested border benefits more from payload and endurance than raw range. A drone meant to patrol distant maritime approaches or cross oceans on its own wings needs range first. Israel's Heron TP is unusual in leading on both, pairing the field's heaviest 2,700 kg payload with a 7,400 km range, while the MQ-9A Reaper carries less and flies far shorter at 1,850 km.
Which armed drone in this comparison has the longest range? +
Israel's Heron TP leads at about 7,400 km, ahead of a three-way pack at roughly 6,000 km made up of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, China's CH-5, and Turkey's Bayraktar Akinci. The MQ-9A Reaper (1,850 km) and Wing Loong II (4,000 km) trail. Baykar publishes the Akinci's operational range as 6,000 km on its own specification sheet, putting the large twin-turboprop HALE airframe in the same long-range class as the American and Chinese heavyweights.
Can other countries buy the MQ-9 Reaper or MQ-9B SkyGuardian? +
Sales are gated by US export control rules, including the Missile Technology Control Regime, which historically restricted Reaper exports to a short list of allied governments. The MQ-9B was designed partly to ease some of those restrictions for NATO and partner states, but neither platform is available on the open market the way Chinese systems like the CH-5 or Wing Loong II are marketed to a wider set of buyers.
Are Chinese drone specs like the CH-5 and Wing Loong II reliable? +
Treat them as manufacturer and state-sourced claims, not independently verified figures. Chinese defense contractors and state media publish payload and range numbers for the CH-5 and Wing Loong II, but unlike the Reaper family, these platforms lack a long, independently documented combat and export record that would let outside analysts cross-check the manufacturer's numbers.
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