List of vehicle speed records
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The following is a list of speed records for various categories of vehicles.
Land vehicles
| Category | Speed | Vehicle | Operator | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land speed record | 1,228 km/h (763 mph) | ThrustSSC | Andy Green | October 15, 1997 |
| Wheel-driven land speed record | 737.794 km/h (458.444 mph) | Vesco Turbinator | Don Vesco | October 18, 2001 |
| Motorcycle land speed record | 580.833 km/h (360.913 mph) | Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner | Rocky Robinson | September 26, 2008 |
| Diesel-powered speed record | 563.995 km/h (350.452 mph) | JCB DieselMax | Andy Green | August 23, 2006 |
| Electric-powered speed record | 517.942 km/h (321.834 mph) | Buckeye Bullet | Andy Marquand | October 3, 2004 |
| Steam-powered speed record | 205.44 km/h (127.66 mph) | Stanley Rocket Racer | Fred Marriott | January 26,1906 |
| Human-powered speed record | 132.50 km/h (82.33 mph) | Varna Diablo 3 | Sam Whittingham | September 18,2008 |
Railed vehicles
| Category | Speed | Vehicle | Operator | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanned railed vehicle (rocket sled) | 10,400 km/h (6,462 mph) | (unmanned) | April 30, 2003 | |
| Manned railed vehicle (rocket sled) | 1,017 km/h (635 mph) | John Stapp | ||
| Magnetic levitation train | 581 km/h (361 mph) | JR-Maglev | unknown | December 2, 2003 |
| Wheeled train | 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph) | TGV | unknown | April 3, 2007 |
Aircraft
| Category | Speed | Vehicle | Pilot | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanned air-breathing craft | 12,144 km/h (7,546 mph) | NASA X-43A | (unmanned) | November 16, 2004 |
| Manned air-breathing craft | 3,530 km/h (2,194 mph) | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | Eldon W. Joersz | July 28, 1976 |
| Rocket-powered aircraft | 7,258 km/h (4,510 mph) | North American X-15 | William J. Knight | October 3, 1967 |
| Propeller-driven aircraft | 870 km/h (541 mph). | Tupolev Tu-114 | Ivan Soukhomline | 1960 |
| Piston-engined propeller-driven aircraft | 850.1 km/h (528.33 mph) | Grumman F8F Bearcat "Rare Bear" N777L | Lyle Shelton | 21 August 1989 |
| Helicopter | 401.0 km/h (249.1 mph) | Westland Lynx 800 G-LYNX | John Egginton | 11 August 1986 |
| Human-powered aircraft | 32 km/h (19.8 mph) average speed | MIT Monarch B | Frank Scarabino | 1 May 1984 |
Watercraft
| Category | Speed | Vehicle | Operator | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water speed record | 511.13 km/h (317.596 mph) | Spirit of Australia | Ken Warby | 8 October 1978 |
| Underwater speed record Manned military submarines speeds are generally not disclosed, but are believed to be between 35 and 45 knots (40 and 51 mph). Unmanned torpedos speed claims range from 70 to 200 knots (80 mph to 230 mph), with Barracuda claiming 800 km/h. | 33 knots (61 km/h or 38 mph) | USS Albacore | 1966 | |
| Human-powered watercraft | 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h or 21.3 mph) | Decavitator | Mark Drela | 27 October 1991 |
| Human-powered submarine | 8.035 knots (14.9 km/h or 9.2 mph) | Omer 5 | 2007 | |
| Wind-powered watercraft | 49.09 knots (90.9 km/h or 56.5 mph) | windsurfer | Antoine Albeau | March 5 2008 |
Spacecraft
| Category | Speed | Vehicle | Crew | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanned spacecraft | 252,792 km/h (157,078 mph) | Helios 2 probe | (unmanned) | mid 1970s |
| Manned spacecraft | 39,896 km/h (24,790 mph) | Apollo 10 | Thomas Stafford, John W. Young and Eugene Cernan | May 26, 1969 |
| Reentering spacecraft | 46,440 km/h (28,856 mph) | Stardust probe | (unmanned) | January 15, 2006 |
See also
| Land speed record · Fastest Production Road Car · Fastest Cars by Acceleration · Motorcycle Land Speed Record · List of vehicle speed records · Wheel-driven land speed record |