01/05/2026
The Design Build Fly Team at the University of Sydney has achieved a strong result at the 30th annual AIAA Design Build Fly competition, with Project Humpback 🐋 successfully completing all missions at the fly-offs a couple weeks ago.
The team’s 2026 entry, Project Humpback, has achieved:
🏅 14th overall
✈️ 1st in-flight performance (M1 + M2 + M3)
🇦🇺 1st in Australia
🌏 1st in Asia-Pacific
📈 Greatest improvement (66 → 14)
🌎 3rd overall outside the U.S.
This result is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the entire USYD DBF Engineering and Operations team, who have committed months of effort to the design, build, and testing of the aircraft. Despite a challenging setback in the report score, including a penalty, the team delivered where it mattered most. In the air.
Only 18 teams successfully completed all three flight missions. Project Humpback demonstrated consistency and reliability across all missions, executing clean flights with minimal issues throughout the competition. M3, however, kept the team on edge until the very end.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors for their continued support in making this achievement possible.
At Sydney UAV Engineering, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of aircraft design and continuing to build a culture of excellence, resilience, and performance in the years to come.
