Tomas Salvo develops jet-powered Reaper drone reaching 491 mph

Tomas Salvo, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, has developed a custom jet-powered remote-controlled drone named Reaper. The aircraft reportedly reached speeds of 491 mph (790 km/h) while carrying a 1.2 kilogram payload. During its flight, the drone maintained this speed for four minutes, climbed to 6,500 feet, and achieved a full-speed range of 31 miles.

Built using a carbon fiber shell and a 250N turbojet engine with a 3D-printed titanium nozzle, the project was largely assembled in a dormitory. Salvo is seeking to qualify for the Boom Prize, an $800,000 incentive established by Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl. To claim the prize, an amateur-built radio-controlled aircraft must break the sound barrier (Mach 1) and maintain that speed for at least five seconds.

While the Reaper has unofficially surpassed the previous jet-powered RC plane speed record of 465.544 mph set in 2017, it has not yet undergone the official Guinness World Records certification process. Salvo is currently utilizing crowdfunding to manage the high costs of engines, testing, and potential redesigns.