Kathmandu- US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, visited Everest Base Camp on Friday. His visit went beyond observation.

He conducted a demonstration test of an advanced drone developed by a US company.

The drone, called Alta X Gen 2, is developed by Freefly Systems. Gor carried out the test at the base camp.

The drone is equipped with technology designed to transport heavy loads. Its performance at sea level has already been verified. However, its capability in high-altitude Himalayan conditions has not yet been tested.

A full test was planned for this purpose, but due to the lack of necessary permission from the Nepal government, the activity was limited to a basic demonstration.

Introduced in January 2026, the drone can fly for up to 50 minutes without carrying any load. It can operate for 15 minutes carrying 15 kg, and up to 30 minutes with a 10 kg payload.

These figures do not reflect performance at high altitude. The company has proposed testing it in such conditions, with the aim of using it for waste collection on Everest and for supply delivery.

Beyond cargo transport, the drone also functions as a camera system equipped with LiDAR and sensors. It has the capability to create 3D maps of terrain, including subsurface features.

China is currently ahead of the US in drone demonstrations on Everest. It has already conducted successful tests using drones developed by DJI. The US effort appears to follow China’s earlier progress.

Competition between the US and China in drones, AI, and robotics has intensified in recent years.