KATHMANDU: A US-manufactured drone has successfully completed high-altitude supply flights on Ama Dablam, months after Nepali authorities blocked a similar American drone from operating on Everest amid regulatory concerns and a broader US-China contest over drone technology in the Himalayas.

The U.S. Embassy in Nepal said it partnered with Seven Summit Treks and The Coca-Cola Foundation to demonstrate the U.S.-manufactured FreeFly Alta X Gen 2 drone on Ama Dablam. In June, Nepali drone operators from Airlift Technology completed multiple flights between Base Camp at 4,600 meters and Yak Camp at approximately 5,050 meters, carrying oxygen cylinders and equipment across 1.6 kilometers of steep mountain terrain, according to the embassy.

The embassy said the drone completed every flight successfully despite strong winds and volatile mountain weather, calling the demonstration proof of the reliability, precision and performance of American technology in conditions where equipment must perform without failure. Officials added that for mountain operations, the drone can reduce the physical burden on Sherpas, improve climber safety, and move essential equipment with greater speed and efficiency.

"As the United States marks 250 years of independence, this collaboration carries forward the spirit of exploration and enterprise that has shaped America from its earliest days," said U.S. Embassy Nepal Chargé d'Affaires Scott Urbom.

The embassy noted the technology's potential applications across Nepal extend beyond expedition logistics to mountain cleanup, search and rescue, disaster response, and emergency deliveries in remote areas. The partnership, it said, shows how American-engineered systems can support safer, faster and more effective high-altitude and remote-area operations across the country.

Same drone, different mountain, different outcome

The Ama Dablam demonstration marks a turnaround for the FreeFly Alta X Gen 2 in Nepal. In late April, the Home Ministry had refused to grant Airlift Technology Pvt. Ltd. authorisation to fly the same drone model in the Everest region, citing concerns under the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations Regulations, 2075 and the need for wider stakeholder consultation. The ministry simultaneously cancelled a permit it had already granted for the Chinese-manufactured DJI FlyCart 100 in the same airspace.

That decision had drawn attention for effectively grounding two of the world's most capable heavy-lift drones on Everest at once — coming just as China's DJI was publicizing what it called the world's first drone delivery on Everest, using its FlyCart 30 model. Days after the Nepali ministry's decision, US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor had unveiled the FreeFly drone at Everest Base Camp, with officials saying then that it would become operational only after completing the permission process. However, Chinese DJI FlyCart was regranted permission for operations after five days of suspension.

The Ama Dablam flights suggest that process has since cleared at least one Himalayan peak for American drone operations, even as the Everest permit question was left unresolved in the earlier reporting, as per the officials.