Record-breaking FPV drone — top speeds and behind-the-scenes

For the first time, Drone Pro Hub engineers managed to officially record a drone speed of 603.47 km/h (375 mph), which corresponds to about M 0.49. This result exceeded the previous unofficial record for high-speed quadcopters.

This is shown in the Drone Pro Hub video.

How the world's fastest drone was created

The record-breaking device was created by Ben Biggs, an engineer from Drone Pro Hub. Less than a month earlier, the father-son team of Mike and Luke Bell showed off their Peregrine 3 quadcopter, which accelerated to 585 km/h. Drone Pro Hub's new drone went even further, reaching speeds of about 18 km/h faster than the Peregreen 3, which Luke Bell himself called an "interesting" development in the fight for the championship.

At Drone Pro Hub, they emphasize that this project wasn’t just an attempt to boast about numbers — it was the result of months of engineering work, numerous failures, and a refusal to settle for "good enough." The team explains that pushing the limits provides unique insights: how aerodynamics behave at 167 meters per second, where motors, ESCs, and batteries fail, how the frame responds to vibrations at extreme speeds, and how onboard electronics handle control nearly at the edge of physics. According to them, these lessons can also be applied to much slower drones.

The drone's design was completely unique — it wasn't an off-the-shelf racing quadcopter but a custom-built drone from scratch. During the first eight months, the team worked on CAD models, selected and tested components, built initial prototypes, and conducted early tests at speeds of 200–300 km/h.

In the next phase, from months nine to twelve, the drone underwent over 30 test flights, during which they had to completely rebuild the frame several times and optimize motors and propellers. Only one prototype was destroyed, with the team estimating the cost of damaged components at over $3,000. After that, a second, improved prototype was assembled, incorporating all previous learnings.

The breakthrough came between months thirteen and sixteen, when engineers discovered critical aerodynamic inefficiencies in the drone's body shape. By redesigning the nose and overall contours, they reduced air resistance by approximately 18% and reached speeds of around 540 km/h for the first time.

The final stage came in month seventeen, when the drone was brought to a stable condition, a favorable weather window was identified, and the record speed of 603 km/h was officially recorded.

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