AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

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The Kingchaser is a remote-controlled aircraft built by graduates from the University of Bath who aim to set a world speed record. The team plans to fly at Mach 0.8, which would beat the current Guinness World Record held for nine years by German pilot Neils Herbrich. The project is part of the Mach Initiative, and the team has already posted footage of their earlier flight on YouTube.

The project began with a smaller prototype called the Kinglet, which used an electric ducted fan instead of a jet turbine to test safety and cost. After refining that design, they built the Kingfisher, a one-meter aircraft powered by a Jetcat P60 engine capable of 205 mph (330 km/h). The Mach Initiative stated that this engine is not powerful enough to break the record; its purpose was simply to demonstrate flight with a jet engine.

To attempt the record, the team created the Kingchaser, which is 20% larger than the Kingfisher and weighs about 9 kg. They switched materials to handle higher heat and forces, using PPS-CF for the engine housing instead of annealed PET-CF to prevent warping. The aircraft features a carbon fiber skeleton reinforced with aluminum and steel, along with titanium sheets to protect the print from heat. High-torque servos control the flaps, and the plane includes an FPV system for better piloting at speed.