A father and son from South Africa have reclaimed the world speed record for quadcopter drones after pushing a custom-built machine past 400 miles per hour, according to footage and data released alongside their Guinness World Record submission. The Peregreen V4, designed and flown by Luke and Mike Bell, reached a verified top speed of 657.59 km/h, or 408 mph, making it the fastest battery-powered remote-controlled quadcopter ever recorded.
The new record narrowly surpasses a previous mark of 626 km/h set just weeks earlier by Australian engineer Benjamin Biggs, underscoring how competitive the niche field of extreme drone speed has become. For the Bells, the achievement represents the culmination of more than two years of rapid iteration. Their earlier Peregreen models progressively raised the bar, first to 480 km/h in mid-2024, then to 585 km/h in late 2025, before the latest design decisively reclaimed the title.
The Peregreen V4 is the fourth iteration of a drone platform built almost entirely from scratch. Luke Bell, an aerial videographer based in Cape Town, led the design process with technical support from his father, Mike. Central to their development strategy was extensive use of high-speed 3D printing, which allowed the team to rapidly prototype and revise components. The final airframe was printed as a single continuous piece using a dual-nozzle system, enabling different materials to be combined for strength, flexibility, and heat tolerance in specific sections.
Performance gains came from a series of focused engineering choices. The drone is powered by T-Motor 3120 brushless motors with higher kV windings than previous versions, increasing rotational speed. These were paired with lithium-ion polymer batteries optimized for delivering intense bursts of power over very short durations. Aerodynamics were refined using digital modeling tools to smooth the body and reduce drag, while propeller size was reduced to six inches to prioritize top-end velocity.
Testing was conducted using standard record verification methods, with the drone flown in opposite directions to cancel out wind effects. Because the Peregreen V4 is both small and exceptionally fast, capturing usable footage proved difficult. The team ultimately used a camera-equipped earlier model to film the record runs.
While the achievement resets the benchmark, the Bells themselves acknowledge it may be temporary. With engineers around the world chasing incremental gains in motor efficiency, materials, and aerodynamics, the race for the fastest drone is far from over. For now, however, the Peregreen V4 stands as a striking demonstration of how far small-scale electric flight has been pushed by determined individuals working outside traditional aerospace labs.
