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List of vehicle speed records

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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

[edit]
Main article: Land speed record
For rail vehicles, see § Rail vehicles.
  • ThrustSSC, which has held the land speed record since 1997
    ThrustSSC, which has held the land speed record since 1997
  • VeloX3, formerly the world's fastest human-powered vehicle
    VeloX3, formerly the world's fastest human-powered vehicle
  • Apollo 17 LRV, fastest vehicle driven on the Moon
    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. ^ a b c 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

[edit]
Main article: Land speed record for rail vehicles
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

[edit]
Main article: Flight airspeed record

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

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

[edit]
  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

[edit]
Main article: Water speed record
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. ^ a b 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

[edit]
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
    Parker Solar Probe (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to the Sun
  • New Horizons (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to Earth
    New Horizons (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to Earth
  • Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown, fastest crewed vehicle 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 635,000 176 395,000 Parker Solar Probe United States NASA (uncrewed) 27 Sep 2023[b] [68]
Earth Escape 58,536 16.26 36,370 New Horizons United States NASA (uncrewed) 19 Jan 2006 [69]
Entry 46,100 12.8 28,600 Stardust United States NASA (uncrewed) 15 Jan 2006 [70]
Entry (crewed) 39,897 11.08 24,790 Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown United States NASA Thomas Stafford, John Young,
Eugene Cernan 		26 May 1969 [71]
Mars Entry 27,000 7.6 17,000 Mars Pathfinder United States NASA (uncrewed) 4 Jul 1997 [72]
Jupiter Orbit insertion 209,000 58 130,000 Juno United States NASA (uncrewed) 4 Jul 2016 [73][66]
Entry 173,736 48.26 108,000 Galileo United States NASA (uncrewed) 21 Sep 2003 [74]
Saturn Periapsis 122,000 34 76,000 Cassini United States NASA (uncrewed) 27 Apr 2017 [75]
  1. ^ Speed records in this class are generally reported by the spacecraft operator and not independently verified.
  2. ^ Following one more gravity assist at Venus, the Parker Solar Probe is expected to beat this record, reaching a maximum speed at perihelion of approximately 200 km/s (720,000 km/h; 450,000 mph) on 24 December 2024.[67]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "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. 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. ^ a b McKinnon, Mika (12 July 2016). "Was Juno the fastest spacecraft ever? Only kind of". Astronomy. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  67. ^ Hollingum, Ben (30 October 2018). "NASA probe breaks speed records as it tops 150,000 mph on way to the Sun". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  68. ^ Buckley, Michael (28 September 2023). "Parker Solar Probe Sets Distance, Speed Marks on 17th Swing by the Sun – Space Coast Daily". Space Coast Daily. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  69. ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan (21 May 2013). "Five amazing facts about the New Horizons probe". SpaceAnswers.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  70. ^ Hoover, Rachel; Brown, Alan. "NASA Astronomers to Observe Hayabusa Homecoming". NASA. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  71. ^ 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]
  72. ^ 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.
  73. ^ Kremer, Ken (9 July 2016). "Welcome to Jupiter– NASA's Juno Achieves Orbit Around 'King of the Planets'". Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  74. ^ Bond, Peter (21 September 2003). "Galileo spacecraft crashes into Jupiter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  75. ^ R. Thompson, Jay (27 April 2017). "Cassini's two speeds".
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