Thomas Salvo, an aerospace engineering student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has set a new world speed record for a jet-powered drone. His drone, called the Reaper, reached a speed of 491 miles per hour (about 790 km/h).
Thomas Salvo, an aerospace engineering student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has set a new world speed record for a jet-powered drone. His drone, called the Reaper, reached a speed of 491 miles per hour (about 790 km/h).
According to the inventor, who developed the device in his dormitory, the drone weighs just 5 kg (11 pounds) and can carry a payload of 1.2 kg. The jet-powered UAV can reach a height of 2,000 meters in less than 20 seconds and can cover a distance of 50 km at maximum speed, maintaining it for four minutes. The device can be launched from a rail or from a car, Interesting Engineering writes .
High results were achieved thanks to the use of advanced materials:
the body is made of carbon fiber with internal laser cutting of the structure to minimize weight;
The engine nozzle is 3D printed from titanium. This allows the engine to be moved forward and the center of gravity to be optimized without adding extra weight to the nose.
Salvo assembled three similar models, each of which successfully confirmed record performance.
The developer is confident in the reliability of his design and plans to overcome the 800 km/h (500 mph) mark during subsequent tests using point optimizations.
