First Breach Drone Prototype Reaches 161 km/h (100 mph) in Flight Testing
Key Highlights
- ➤Drone prototype reaches 161 km/h (100 mph) without a payload in flight testing
- ➤161 km/h result exceeds First Breach’s prior published 120 km/h maximum speed
- ➤FAA waiver process underway to test the platform above 161 km/h
- ➤Initial prototypes targeted for Q4 2026, with scaled production targeted for Q2 2027
- ➤Production capacity targeted above 2,500 drones weekly as manufacturing expands
Expert Statements
Jeffrey Low, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Breach
“We did not stop at 100 mph because the aircraft ran out of margin. We stopped because the rulebook did”
Jeffrey Low, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Breach
“This is a platform that was flying tethered a few months ago. Today it is operating at the regulatory ceiling for its class, and we are working with the FAA to find out how much is left above it. For the defense customers we are building for, speed is survivability and mission tempo, and this airframe has both to spare.”
Jordan Low, Co-Founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Breach
“Range, payload, and the ability to fight through jamming are what win these programs, and speed is what makes each of those harder to stop”
Jordan Low, Co-Founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Breach
“Together with Hellbender, we have built a platform that outruns most of what is flying in its class and simple enough to produce at the rate the Department of War is asking for. The FAA waiver process runs in parallel with the production ramp. Neither waits on the other.”
HAGERSTOWN, MD / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2026 / First Breach Inc. (NASDAQ:FBDT) ("First Breach" or the "Company"), an American-made defense technologies company focused on vertically integrated ammunition production and next-generation unmanned aerial systems, today announced that its proprietary drone prototype has reached a speed of 161 km/h (100 mph) in flight testing without a payload, the maximum groundspeed the Federal Aviation Administration permits for small unmanned aircraft under Part 107 without a waiver. The Company is in the process of obtaining FAA authorization to test at speeds above that limit.
"We did not stop at 100 mph because the aircraft ran out of margin. We stopped because the rulebook did," said Jeffrey Low, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Breach. "This is a platform that was flying tethered a few months ago. Today it is operating at the regulatory ceiling for its class, and we are working with the FAA to find out how much is left above it. For the defense customers we are building for, speed is survivability and mission tempo, and this airframe has both to spare."
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