For a couple of years now, Chinese companies have been breaking the world record for most drones flown simultaneously by organising impressive night-time light shows.
In June of last year, we wrote about a Chongqing company that set a world record by illuminating the night sky with 11,787 drones flying at the same time. That record fell only a few months later, when another drone manufacturer used 15,847 drones simultaneously. But it too only hung on to the record for a few months, as in February of this year, a Guangdong-based company claimed it with a stunning light show featuring 22,580 AI-operated drones.
On February 3rd, 2026, the people of Hefei, in China’s Anhui province, were treated to one of the most impressive light shows in history. Chinese drone producer EHang Egret launched 22,580 drones and used AI-powered ‘swarm intelligence’ technology to control them as a single entity, without a single accidental collision.
Three-dimensional Chinese lanterns, urban landscapes and various other intricate patterns were displayed in the night-sky above Hebei, in a light show designed to showcase China’s cutting-edge in drone technology. Even though about 25 drones failed to take off, the remaining 22,580 units were more than enough to set a new Guinness World Record for the most drones operated simultaneously.
Such stunning light shows are meant to consolidate China’s position as a global leader in drone technology, but military experts believe that they also serve as a means to project power to rivals, as drone swarm technology could theoretically also be used for “aerial saturation attacks”, where superior numbers of AI-controlled low-cost drones can overwhelm advanced enemy defences.
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