Quantum Systems Says Recordhunter Drone Hit 777 km/h

An electric test aircraft from the German drone maker Quantum Systems has reached 777 km/h, the company says. It went from a standstill to that speed in 27 seconds and held it “for a fraction of a second” before the pilot slowed down and landed, Quantum Systems representatives told Militarnyi, which reported the figures on Wednesday.

The aircraft, called Apex Recordhunter, is a technology demonstrator built by the company’s N3XT research and development division. It is a test aircraft, not an interceptor. Quantum Systems says the lessons are “already being applied” to new counter-drone systems.

Why speed matters now

The reason is Russia’s newer drones. “Russia is using jet-powered strike drones, such as the Geran-5, with speeds of up to 600 km/h. This creates a need for faster interceptors capable of keeping pace with the evolving threat,” the company told Militarnyi. Its co-chief executive, Sven Kruck, put those drones at “approximately 500 to 600 km/h”, according to The Defense News.

To go that fast on battery power, the engineers combined a revised aerodynamic design, a powerful electric motor and a cooling system in a compact airframe. Keeping the aircraft stable was the hardest part, Militarnyi reports, because even small deviations add drag and use up energy. The Defense News says the team spent about a year on the project and uses high-discharge battery cells from V4Smart, part of the Porsche group. The same aircraft reached 699 km/h on 26 June, which the company then described as an unofficial best for a battery-electric aircraft.

Not an official record yet

The 777 km/h figure is the company’s own. Chief revenue officer Martin Karkour announced it in a social media post, and New Atlas notes that it cannot count as an official record. The rules of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the body that ratifies air records, require two flights in opposite directions to cancel out wind, and this was a single leg. The company acknowledges as much, New Atlas says, and The Defense News reports that the return leg is still to be flown.

The flight was not just about the number. New Atlas says it was used to gather aerothermal and electrical data for Quantum Systems’ work on high-speed interceptors, and The Defense News stresses that the Recordhunter is not a weapon. At 777 km/h, roughly 419.5 knots, it would comfortably outrun the jet-powered drones the company describes.

Quantum Systems, based in Gilching near Munich, is best known for its Vector reconnaissance drone. Militarnyi has previously reported that Germany will pay for production in Ukraine of “tens of thousands” of Quantum Systems interceptor drones as part of its aid package for winter 2026-27. Which of its systems will use the Recordhunter’s findings, the company has not said.