List of vehicle speed records

The following is a list of speed records for various types of vehicles. This list only presents the single greatest speed achieved in each broad record category; for more information on records under variations of test conditions, see the specific article for each record category. As with many world records, there may be some dispute over the criteria for a record-setting event, the authority of the organization certifying the record, and the actual speed achieved.

Land vehicles

Main article: Land speed record

For rail vehicles, see § Rail vehicles.

• 
  ThrustSSC, which has held the land speed record since 1997
• 
  VeloX3, formerly the world's fastest human-powered vehicle
• 
  Apollo 17 LRV, fastest vehicle driven on the Moon

Land speed records by type of vehicle

Category	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Vehicle	Operator	Date	Certifier	Refs
Land speed record [a]	1,227.985	763.035	ThrustSSC	Andy Green	15 Oct 1997	FIA	[2]
Wheel-driven [b]	745.187	463.038	Vesco Turbinator II	Dave Spangler	14 Aug 2018	SCTA	[3] [4]
Piston-engine [c]	722.204	448.757	Challenger 2	Danny Thompson	12 Aug 2018	SCTA	[6]
Motorcycle [d]	605.698	376.363	Ack Attack	Rocky Robinson	25 Sep 2010	FIM	[7]
Diesel-powered [e]	563.998	350.452	JCB DieselMax	Andy Green	23 Aug 2006	FIA	[8]
Electric-powered [e]	550.627	342.144	Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3	Roger Schroer	19 Sep 2016	FIA	[8]
Steam-powered [e]	238.679	148.308	Inspiration	Don Wales	25 Aug 2009	FIA	[8]
Wind-powered [f]	225.58	140.17	Horonuku	Glenn Ashby	24 Feb 2023	FISLY	[10]
Human-powered [g]	144.17	89.58	AeroVelo Eta	Todd Reichert	17 Sep 2016	IHPVA	[12]
Solar-powered [h]	91.332	56.751	Sky Ace TIGA	Kenjiro Shinozuka	20 Aug 2014	GWR	[13]
Tracked vehicle	121.9	75.7	modified M113 APC	Carl May	Jul/Aug 1979	US Army	[14]
Radio-controlled car (rocket-powered)	338.14	210.11	Black Knight	Anthony Lovering	4 May 2016	GWR	[15] [16]
Radio-controlled car (battery-powered)	325.12	202.02	RC Bullet	Nic Case	25 Oct 2014	GWR	[17] [18]

1. Average over two subsequent runs in opposite directions over a 1 mile (1.6 km) course, with flying start ^[1]
2. Average over 1 mile (1.6 km), with a flying start
3. Average over two subsequent runs with four hours to work on the vehicle in impound ^[5]
4. Average over 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), with a flying start
5. Average over two subsequent runs in opposite directions over a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) course, with flying start ^[1]
6. Average over 50 metres (160 ft) ^[9]
7. Unpaced on a straight surface -0.6% grade; ^[11] average over 200 metres (660 ft), with flying start (For other cycling records, see cycling records )
8. For vehicles powered directly by solar power, without batteries

Land speed records by surface

Category	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Vehicle	Operator	Date	Certifier	Refs
On ice	335.7	208.6	Audi RS 6	Janne Laitinen	9 Mar 2013	FIA	[19]
On the Moon	18.0	11.2	Apollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV‑003)	Eugene Cernan	11 Dec 1972	(unofficial)	[20]
On Mars	0.18	0.11	Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity	Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with semi‑autonomous control	Jul 2004	GWR	[21]

Rail vehicles

Main article: Land speed record for rail vehicles

• 
  Lt. Col. John P. Stapp rides the rocket sled at Edwards Air Force Base
• 
  The V150, the world's fastest wheeled train, on its record-breaking run
• 
  Schienenzeppelin propeller-driven rail car
• 
  Mallard , the world's fastest steam train

Rail speed records

Category	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Vehicle	Operator	Date	Certifier	Refs
Rocket sled	10,326	6,416	Super Roadrunner	(uncrewed) / USAF	29 Apr 2003		[22]
Maglev rocket sled	1,019	633	(unnamed)	(uncrewed) / USAF	4 Mar 2016		[23]
Rocket sled (crewed)	1,017	632	Sonic Wind No. 1	John Stapp / USAF	10 Dec 1954		[24]
Maglev train (crewed)	603	375	SCMaglev L0 Series	Central Japan Railway Company	21 Apr 2015	GWR	[25]
Wheeled	574.8	357.2	TGV POS V150	Eric Pieczac	3 Apr 2007		[26] [27]
Propeller-driven	230	140	Schienenzeppelin	Franz Kruckenberg	21 Jun 1931		[28] [29]
Steam-driven	202.6	125.9	LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard	Joseph Duddington and Thomas Bray	3 Jul 1938		[30] [31] [32]

Aircraft

Main article: Flight airspeed record

Aircraft speed records are based on true airspeed, rather than ground speed.

• 
  HTV-2 (artist rendering), the fastest uncrewed aerial vehicle
• 
  North American X-15, the fastest piloted rocket-powered aircraft
• 
  SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest piloted air-breathing aircraft
• 
  Rare Bear , the fastest piston-engined aircraft
• 
  Musculair 2 , the fastest human-powered aircraft

Airspeed records

Category	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Mach No. [a]	Vehicle	Crew	Date	Certifier	Refs
Uncrewed aerial vehicle	21,245	13,201	~20	HTV‑2	(uncrewed)	22 Apr 2010	(unofficial)	[33]
Crewed, rocket-powered	7,270	4,520	6.7	North American X‑15A‑2	William J. Knight	3 Oct 1967	GWR	[34] [35]
Crewed, air-breathing	3,529.56	2,193.17	3.3	Lockheed SR‑71A Blackbird #61‑7958	Eldon W. Joersz	28 Jul 1976	FAI	[36] [37]
Propeller-driven	927.4	576.3	~ 0.85	Piaggio P.180 Avanti	Joseph J. Ritchie, Steve Fossett	6 Feb 2003	FAI	[38] [39]
Piston-engined	850.24	528.31	0.69	Grumman F8F Bearcat (modified) Rare Bear	Lyle Shelton	21 Aug 1989	FAI	[40] [41]
Electric [b]	555.9	345.4	0.45	Rolls-Royce Accel Spirit of Innovation	Steve Jones	19 Nov 2021	FAI	[42]
Helicopter [note 1]	400.87	249.09	0.33	Westland Lynx 800 G‑LYNX	John Egginton	11 Aug 1986	FAI	[43] [44]
Glider (sailplane) [c]	306.8	190.6	0.25	Schempp‑Hirth Nimbus‑4DM	Klaus Ohlmann (pilot), Matias Garcia Mazzaro	22 Dec 2006	FAI	[45]
Airship [note 2]	115.1	71.5	0.09	Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik LZ N07‑100 (DLZFN)	Steve Fossett (pilot), Hans‑Paul Ströhle	27 Oct 2004	FAI	[47] [48]
Human-powered	44.32	27.54	0.03	Musculair 2	Holger Rochelt	2 Oct 1985	FAI	[49] [50]
Ground effect vehicle	See entry under § Watercraft.

1. Mach number depends on ambient temperature, and thus altitude, as well as speed; it is not a direct measure of speed.
2. Over a 3-kilometer course
3. Average speed over an out-and-return course of 500 km

Noted unofficial records

1. Unofficial helicopter speed records by the Sikorsky X2 (460 km/h on 15 September 2010) and the Eurocopter X3 (472 km/h on 7 June 2013) would surpass this record if accepted.
2. Greater speeds reportedly achieved by rigid airships, including 140.3 kilometres per hour (87.2 mph) by the American USS Macon (ZRS-5), are not recognized by the FAI, because these runs did not account for wind speed by flying a set course in both directions. ^[46]

Watercraft

Main article: Water speed record

• 
  Model of Spirit of Australia , which holds the water speed record
• 
  Vestas Sailrocket , the fastest wind-powered watercraft
• 
  Decavitator , the fastest human-powered watercraft
• 
  Omer 5 , the fastest human-powered submarine
• 
  The "Caspian Sea Monster", the fastest ground-effect vehicle ^[a]

Water speed records

Category	Speed (knots)	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)	Vehicle	Operator	Date	Certifier	Refs
Water speed record	275.98	511.11	317.59	Spirit of Australia	Ken Warby	8 Oct 1978	UIM	[51] [52]
Propeller-driven	226.78	420.00	260.97	Problem Child	Daryl Ehrlich	22 Nov 2009	IHBA, GWR	[53] [54]
Wind-powered	65.45	121.21	75.32	Vestas Sailrocket 2	Paul Larsen	24 Nov 2012	WSSRC	[55] [56]
Hovercraft [b]	74.2	137.4	85.4	Universal UH19P Jenny II	Bob Windt	1 Jan 1995	WHF, GWR	[57]
Human-powered	18.5	34.3	21.3	Decavitator	Mark Drela	27 Oct 1991	IHPVA	[58] [59]
Human-powered submarine	8.035	14.881	9.247	Omer 5	Sebastien Brisebois, Joel Brunet	28 Jun 2007	ISR	[60]
Ground effect vehicle [a]	350	650	400	Korabl Maket "Caspian Sea Monster"	Soviet Navy	ca. 1966–1980	(unofficial)	[62]
Underwater vehicle	There is no officially recognized speed record for underwater craft, due to the secretive nature of military vessels. In 1968, a Soviet November-class submarine reportedly tracked an American carrier group traveling at 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph). [63] Uncrewed torpedo speed claims range from 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph) for the British Spearfish torpedo [64] to 200 knots (370 km/h; 230 mph) for the Russian VA-111 Shkval. [65]

1. Ground effect vehicles (a.k.a. "Wing-In-Ground effect vehicles") are classified as maritime vessels, rather than aircraft, by the International Maritime Organization. ^[61]
2. Measured over 1 km with a flying start

Spacecraft

Main article: List of spaceflight records § Speed and altitude

In order to unambiguously express the speed of a spacecraft, a frame of reference must be specified. Typically, this frame is fixed to the body with the greatest gravitational influence on the spacecraft, as this is the most relevant frame for most purposes. ^[66] Velocities in different frames of reference are not directly comparable; thus the matter of the "fastest spacecraft" depends on the reference frame used.

Because of the influence of gravity, maximum velocities are usually attained when a spacecraft is close to its primary body: either just after launch, at a point of closest approach (periapsis), or during the early stages of atmospheric entry.

• 
  Parker Solar Probe (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to the Sun
• 
  New Horizons (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to Earth
• 
  Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown, fastest crewed vehicle relative to Earth

Space speed records

Frame of reference	Category	Speed relative to frame of reference			Vehicle	Operator	Crew	Date	Refs [a]
		km/h	km/s	mph
Sun	Periapsis	692,000	192	430,000	Parker Solar Probe	NASA	(uncrewed)	24 Dec 2024	[67]
Earth	Escape	58,536	16.26	36,370	New Horizons	NASA	(uncrewed)	19 Jan 2006	[68]
	Entry	46,100	12.8	28,600	Stardust	NASA	(uncrewed)	15 Jan 2006	[69]
	Entry (crewed)	39,897	11.08	24,790	Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown	NASA	Thomas Stafford, John Young, Eugene Cernan	26 May 1969	[70]
Mars	Entry	27,000	7.6	17,000	Mars Pathfinder	NASA	(uncrewed)	4 Jul 1997	[71]
Jupiter	Orbit insertion	209,000	58	130,000	Juno	NASA	(uncrewed)	4 Jul 2016	[72] [66]
	Entry	173,736	48.26	108,000	Galileo	NASA	(uncrewed)	21 Sep 2003	[73]
Saturn	Periapsis	122,000	34	76,000	Cassini	NASA	(uncrewed)	27 Apr 2017	[74]

1. Speed records in this class are generally reported by the spacecraft operator and not independently verified.

See also

• Orders of magnitude (speed)

References

1. "D12.3.1 Average Speed". 2016 Appendix D – Regulations For Land Speed Record Attempts. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 December 2015. p. 5.
2. "FIA Records List Cat. C" (PDF). Federation Internationale de L'automobile. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
3. Brandan Gillogly (14 August 2018), Team Vesco's Turbinator II runs 463 mph, breaks Speed Week record, Hagerty
4. Speed Week 2018 certified records, Southern California Timing Association, 18 August 2018, p. 8, archived from the original on 26 August 2018, retrieved 25 August 2018
5. 2018 Regulations For Land Speed Record Attempts. Southern California Timing Association. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
6. Brownell, Bradley (12 August 2018). "Danny Thompson's Challenger II Set The Piston-Driven Land Speed Record Today, 50 Years After It First Came To Bonneville". Jalopnik. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
7. "Short distance record attempt / Tentative de records de courte distance: Cook Motorsports Private Land Speed Shootout – Bonneville Salt Flats, USA (September 20-25, 2010 )". Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
8. "FIA Records List Cat. A" (Download). Federation Internationale de L'automobile. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
9. "International Sailing and Racing Rules I.S.R.R. – Appendixes" (PDF). FISLY.org. Fédération Internationale de Sand et Landyachting. 6 January 2019. p. 32. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
10. "FISLY World Record Certificate" (PDF). Federation Internationale de Sand et Land Yachting. 24 February 2023.
11. "amateur survey" . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
12. "IHPVA Official Speed Records". International Human Powered Vehicle Association.
13. "Fastest solar-powered vehicle". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
14. "WES Establishes Tracked-Vehicle Speed Record". Army Research, Development & Acquisition Magazine. 20 (4). United States Army Materiel Command: 35. July–August 1979. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
15. Waldron, Aaron. "Rocket-powered RC car set new world record". LiveRC.com. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
16. "Fastest rocket-powered remote controlled car". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
17. Vieira, Peter (29 October 2014). "World Record! Nic Case Breaks the 200mph Barrier". RC Car Action. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
18. "Fastest battery-powered remote-controlled model car (RC)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
19. "Audi RS6 sets new ice-speed record". Top Gear. BBC. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
20. "Eugene Cernan". Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
21. "NASA Curiosity Rover lands – our top ten Mars-related records". Guinness World Records. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
22. "Test sets world land speed record". U.S. Air Force. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
23. Jenson, Randahl J. "633 mph -- nothing to mach". Holloman Air Force Base. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
24. "Base re-enacts rocket sled test". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. wire reports. 12 December 2004. p. A5.
25. "Japan's maglev train breaks world speed record with 600 km/h test run". The Guardian. United Kingdom. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
26. Willsher, Kim (2 April 2007). "TGV breaks rail-speed record". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
27. "Fastest train on a national rail system". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
28. Traver Adolphus, David (December 2007). "Schiene Zeppelin". Hemming Motor News. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
29. Orosz, Peter. "Is it a plane? Is it a train? No, it's a prop-driven V12 locomotive!". Trainlopnik. Jalopnik . Retrieved 23 March 2011.
30. "Mallard 75: Celebrating Britain's Steam Record". National Railway Museum. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
31. "Men who served on Mallard prepare to be reunited with famous locomotive". The Yorkshire Post. Johnston Publishing. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
32. "Fastest steam locomotive". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
33. "Falcon HTV-2". Lockheed Martin. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
34. "Fastest Speed in a Non-Spacecraft Aircraft". Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Limited. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
35. "American X-Vehicles: An Inventory X-1 to X-50" (PDF). NASA. June 2003. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
36. Swopes, Bryan (28 July 2014). "This Day in Aviation: Important Dates in Aviation History". FAI World Record for Altitude in Horizontal Flight Archives. FAI. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
37. "Eldon W. Joersz (USA)". FAI.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
38. "Records | World Air Sports Federation". www.fai.org. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
39. "Joseph J. Ritchie (USA) (7627) | World Air Sports Federation". www.fai.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
40. Lerner, Preston (November 2009). "The Bear Is Back: The winning-est Bearcat in air racing steps up once more to the starting gate". Air & Space. Smithsonian. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
41. "Lyle Shelton (USA)". FAI.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
42. "Rolls-Royce all-electric aircraft breaks world records". BBC News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
43. Swopes, Brian R. "11 August 1986". This Day in Aviation. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
44. "John Trevor Eggington (GBR)". FAI.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
45. "Klauss Ohlmann (GER)". FAI. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
46. Michel, Christian. "Steve Fossett breaks airship speed record with Zeppelin NT". Modern Airships. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
47. Perret, Anne-Laure (10 January 2006). "World Class Records" (PDF) (letter). Letter to National Aeronautic Association . Retrieved 12 July 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
48. "Steve Fossett (USA)". FAI.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
49. "Fai Record File". FAI. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
50. "Holger Rochelt (FRG)". FAI.org. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
51. "UIM World Records". Union Internationale Motonautique. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
52. "Water Speed Record (Fastest Boat)". Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
53. "Fastest propeller-driven boat". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
54. "Top Fuel Drag Boat Problem Child Sets World Record". Red Line Oil. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
55. "VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Smashes Speed Record". Blue Water Sailing. 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
56. "Vestas Sailrocket Smashes World Speed Sailing Record… Again!". PredictWind.com. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
57. "Fastest Hovercraft". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
58. Wall, Matthew; Drela, Mark; Finberg, Steve. "Decavitator Human-Powered Hydrofoil". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
59. "Water". International Human Powered Vehicle Association. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
60. "9th International Subraces Conclude with New World Speed Records". International Submarine Races. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
61. Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) (November 2001). "Wing-in-Ground (WIG) craft". International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
62. Committee to Perform a Technology Assessment Focused on Logistics Support Requirements for Future Army Combat Systems (1999). Reducing the Logistics Burden for the Army After Next (Report). National Research Council. p. 68.
    

    "This large aircraft has flown at 650 km/h (350 knots) ..."

63. Tyler, Patrick (1986). Running Critical. New York: Harper&Row. pp. 23–26, 34–46.
64. Tovey, Alan (16 December 2014). "Already faster than a cheetah, the Navy's two-tonne Spearfish torpedoes are getting an upgrade". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
65. "VA-111 Shkval torpedo". Military Periscope. 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
66. McKinnon, Mika (12 July 2016). "Was Juno the fastest spacecraft ever? Only kind of". Astronomy. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
67. Davis, Nicola (27 December 2024). "Nasa probe successfully completes closest-ever approach to sun". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 January 2025.
68. O'Callaghan, Jonathan (21 May 2013). "Five amazing facts about the New Horizons probe". SpaceAnswers.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
69. Hoover, Rachel; Brown, Alan. "NASA Astronomers to Observe Hayabusa Homecoming". NASA. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
70. Furniss, Tim (2003). "Chapter 5: Apollo". A History of Space Exploration: And Its Future. Lyons Press. p. 67. ISBN   1-58574-650-9 . Retrieved 11 July 2016.^{[ dead link ‍]}
71. Edquist, Karl T.; Dyakonov, Artem T.; Wright, Michael J.; Tang, Chun Y. (25 June 2011). "Aerothermodynamic Design of the Mars Science Laboratory Backshell and Parachute Cone" (PDF). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics . Retrieved 7 July 2024.
72. Kremer, Ken (9 July 2016). "Welcome to Jupiter– NASA's Juno Achieves Orbit Around 'King of the Planets'" . Retrieved 12 July 2016.
73. Bond, Peter (21 September 2003). "Galileo spacecraft crashes into Jupiter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
74. R. Thompson, Jay (27 April 2017). "Cassini's two speeds".