FPV Drone World News — October 2026
This weekly report is driven by FPVSTORERC (https://fpvstorerc.com/), bringing you two blog posts: one focused on the latest power and video transmission products in the FPV drone community, and one rounding up recent racing events, industry developments and new regulations.
TEKNOFEST Southeast World Drone Cup venue, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye (archive photo)
October has been one of the busiest months on the global FPV calendar. A South Korean pilot was crowned world champion in Türkiye, autonomous racers qualified for a half-million-dollar final in Ohio, and the biggest Open-class championship in the United States lands in Dallas this week. Here is your roundup of the latest FPV news, races and gear from around the world.
01 World Drone Cup 2026: South Korea's Choi Wonkyun Crowned Champion in Türkiye
The World Drone Championship concluded on Saturday, October 3, after four days of racing at the TEKNOFEST Southeast World Drone Cup in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye. Pilots from 32 countries battled through the event, flying high-speed FPV drones they designed and built themselves.
South Korean pilot Choi Wonkyun took the title ahead of compatriot Kim Minjae in second place, with Bulgaria's Dimo Shterev completing the podium in third. The win adds a new name to a roll of honor that includes 2025 champion Minjae Kim and 2024 champion Yuki Hashimoto.
For hardware fans, the champion's setup is worth noting: Choi flew T-HOBBY F50 LV 2207-class racing motors to the world title — a strong statement for the 5-inch racing power system on the international stage.
02 MultiGP Championship 2026: The Finale Lands in Dallas This Week
The 11th MultiGP Championship takes the season to Texas. From October 15 to 17, 69 Open-class pilots will race at Dallas Drone Racing in Carrollton for a $10,000 cash purse split among the top four — and spectators get in free.
Reigning champion Joaquin “JBOX” Ybanez returns to defend his crown at the event that grew out of the grassroots FPV community in 2015 and has since become the premier Open-class championship in the sport. If you can't be in Dallas, this is the race to watch this weekend.
Photo 1 · Outdoor racing gates — the MultiGP Championship 2026 races in Dallas, Texas, Oct 15–17 (archive photo)
03 DCL: Ten Teams Qualify for the Ohio AI Grand Prix Final
Drone racing's autonomous era took another big step. The DCL AI Grand Prix physical qualifier wrapped on September 30 after eight days: fifteen teams, one ten-gate course, and only ten teams earned their place in the championship final.
The live head-to-head final is planned for November 2026 in Ohio, USA, with a $500,000 prize pool. Operated by DCL in partnership with Anduril, the series challenges teams to race fully autonomous drones — no pilot, software only — from virtual qualifiers in spring to real-world gates.
In the human league, VEXCEL Spain Drone Team extended its dominance: the team defeated Cyclone Racing 37–13 in the Eagle Cup final, a second consecutive Cup victory that stretches its championship lead to 20 points.
Photo 2 · Course gates and markers — autonomous racing took centre stage at the DCL AI Grand Prix physical qualifier (archive photo)
04 Around the World: New Races, New Nations
Poland. On October 10, Gliwice hosted the country's first national COMBAT FPV championship, an event that blends sport competition with FPV technology across three disciplines — a milestone for Polish drone racing.
China. The FAI Drone Racing World Cup Changchun station wrapped up on September 30 after four days of elite racing, while the China Drone Racing League (DRA) closed its 2026 opening round in Xiangshan — the world's first national official drone racing league, aligned with National Games and FAI systems.
05 New Gear: What Pilots Are Flying Right Now
DJI Avata 360 — 8K 360° FPV, Straight Out of the Box
DJI's first native 360° FPV drone sets a new bar for immersive flying. The Avata 360 combines 8K 360° imaging with dual 1-inch-equivalent sensors, O4+ video transmission and omnidirectional obstacle sensing — fly first, choose your angle after.
Photo 3 · DJI Avata 360 — DJI's first native 360° FPV drone with 8K imaging (product photo)
BetaFPV Air65 II / Air75 II — The Second Generation of 1S Whoops
BetaFPV's Air series — the benchmark for 1S whoop racing — has been rebuilt for 2026. The Air65 II and Air75 II pair 0702/0802 motors with a new 0.1 mm stator core (in Champion, Racing and Freestyle versions) with the Matrix 5IN1 II flight controller and a robust 12A ESC, wrapped in a reinforced Air II canopy built for repeated impacts.
Photo 4 · BetaFPV Air65 II — the second-generation 1S whoop for racing and freestyle (product photo)
Axisflying VERTEX 5 — A 460 g Fully Enclosed 5-Inch
Launched on August 10, the VERTEX 5 targets pilots who want performance and durability in one package. At just 460 g, it combines a fully enclosed frame, optimized 2406 motors, modular components, enhanced cooling and an upgraded video transmission.
Photo 5 · Axisflying VERTEX 5 — 460 g fully enclosed 5-inch frame (product photo)
Champion's Choice: T-HOBBY F50 LV Motors
World Drone Cup champion Choi Wonkyun won the title flying T-HOBBY F50 LV 2207-class motors — the same power plants trusted by top teams on the international circuit. For 5-inch racers, it is the setup that just proved itself on the world's biggest stage.
Photo 6 · T-HOBBY F50 LV 2207-class motor — the setup World Drone Cup champion Choi Wonkyun flew (product photo)
RCinPower Evo 0702 — 1S Micro Power, Back in Stock
For the whoop crowd, RCinPower's 2026 Evo 0702 remains one of the most interesting 1S motors of the year: a 31800KV micro brushless motor designed for lightweight 65 mm indoor racing and freestyle builds. It is available now at FPVSTORERC — shop the 2026 lineup here.
Photo 7 · RCinPower Evo 0702 31800KV — 2026 new model, in stock at FPVSTORERC (product photo)
Products and news are updated continuously — jump to: FPVSTORERC Official Site · Latest News & Products