If you've never had the opportunity to see one, a drone show can be quite the impressive display. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, can have a multitude of personal and private uses, such as Ukraine's fleet of 15,000 drones for national defense, or simply someone using one to get aerial footage of an event. This time around, however, the drones were part of a record-breaking celebration, and those who witnessed it likely experienced something incredible.
Completed on February 3, 2026, Chinese company Guangdong EHang Egret Media Technology Co., Ltd., now holds the Guinness World Record for the Most multirotor/drones airborne simultaneously from a single computer (outdoors) after piloting 22,580 drones over the skies of Hefei — the capital of the Anhui province in China. The display was part of China Media Group's (CMG) Spring Festival Gala, which began celebrations of the 2026 Lunar New Year.
Drones were also used to capture the event, flying overhead to present audiences with an aerial view of the devices performing in unison to display a variety of shapes, including festival lanterns, mesmerizing patterns, and other culturally relevant designs. It's also noteworthy that only 25 of the thousands of drones failed to take off, and EHang Egret has shattered the previous record of 15,847 drones in this category. Individual drone owners may have a hard time beating this record, especially if they remember all the places in the U.S. you can't fly one.
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EHang Holdings Limited is no stranger to breaking world records. Before the company's latest spectacle, it previously earned its first world record in 2018 for flying 1,000 drones over the city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi. The company had tested the drones before the event, ensuring that all 22,000+ drones were capable of performing even in windy conditions. Despite the thousands of drones needing to sync perfectly, only a single computer was used for piloting, and the company did not use additional controllers.
For the show itself, the company relied on its in-house-developed Ghostdrone 4.0 (GD4.0) UAVs. Each drone features 45 minutes of flight capabilities and "centimeter-level position accuracy," among other capabilities. The company likely used the event to help advertise the tech in their drones, stating in a press release celebrating the news, "EHang's technology — proven in orchestrating over 20,000 formation drones — is fully transferable to managing large-scale fleets for passenger transport, cargo delivery, firefighting, emergency response, and more."
In addition to a record-breaking drone show, EHang had 15 EH216-S pilotless aircraft flying together to form a perfect circle—known culturally as the Eye of Anhui. When it comes to world records, China has been on a hot streak as of late. Back in April, a humanoid robot from the region beat the world record for a half-marathon, completing the 13-mile race in just 50 minutes, 26 seconds.