Luke Bell / YouTube
Just a month ago, the 626 km/h mark had been broken by engineer Benjamin Biggs. Now, the Bells duo has returned to the top of the records with their new Peregreen V4 drone.
A father and son duo from South Africa regained the world record Guinness Award for the world’s fastest quadcopter drone, pushing the limits of drone engineering in an increasingly competitive field. Luke and Mike Bell reached a top speed of 657.59 kilometers per hour with its latest 3D printed drone, the Peregreen V4.
The new record surpasses the previous mark of 626 km/hestablished just a month earlier by Australian engineer Benjamin Biggs. The Bells themselves have previously held records, reaching 480 km/h in June 2024 with the Peregreen 2 and 585 km/h in October 2025 with the Peregreen 3. The latest achievement marks the fourth version of their custom drone and returns the title to the South African duo after a series of hotly contested record attempts.
Cape Town-based aerial camera operator Luke Bell led the design and construction of the Peregreen V4, working closely with his father, Mike. The project represents more than two years of improvementcontinuous testing and redesign. Although the Bells also developed a solar-powered drone capable of flying indefinitely during the day, speed was the main focus of the Peregreen series.
Fundamental to the project was the use of advanced 3D printing technology. Peregreen V4 was produced using a high-speed printer with two nozzles, allowing the combination of different materials in a single print. This allowed the team optimize strength, weight and flexibility on different sections of the drone, including the tail and camera mount. The increased print volume also allowed the drone body to be printed as a single, continuous piece, improving structural integrity and aerodynamics.
Several hardware upgrades contributed to the record performance. The drone has been equipped with high-reliability brushless motors with increased rotation speed, combined with high-power lithium-ion polymer batteries, designed to provide maximum power in short periods. Aerodynamic efficiency has been further improved by using advanced modeling software to smooth the drone’s outer surface and reduce drag. Smaller, six-inch propellers were selected to maximize top speed, explains .
The tests followed standard international protocols, with the drone flying in opposite directions to compensate for wind conditions. The average of the two passages resulted in official record speedverified as the highest ground speed ever achieved by a battery-powered, remote-controlled quadcopter.
Despite the great achievement, with competition intensifying around the world, the Bells recognize that the record may be short-lived.
