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Robotics & Autonomy·November 9, 2026·1 min read

US college student builds 'Reaper' drone — which he says set a new world record speed of 491mph

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A $13,000, 491 mph student-built drone with Pentagon interest shows how far the cost and talent barriers for high-performance UAVs have fallen. Defense and industrial buyers should expect a faster iteration cycle from small teams — procurement and partnership models that only fit primes will miss a lot of edge innovation.