'Test jet sets new air speed record'

Tabnabs

An experimental aircraft has set a record for hypersonic flight, flying more than three minutes at six times the speed of sound.



The X-51A Waverider was released from a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress off California on Wednesday.

Its scramjet engine accelerated it to Mach 6, and it flew under its own power for 200 seconds before losing acceleration. At that point the test was ended.

The Air Force said the previous record for a hypersonic scramjet burn was 12 seconds.

Unlike ordinary ramjets, which use air passing through at subsonic speeds to operate, the X-51 uses a supersonic internal airflow - giving rise to the name scramjet, short for supersonic combustion ramjet.

"We are ecstatic to have accomplished many of the X-51A test points during its first hypersonic mission," said an Air Force Research Lab spokesman.

"We equate this leap in engine technology as equivalent to the post-World War II jump from propeller-driven aircraft to jet engines."

The Waverider was built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Boeing.

Joe Vogel, Boeing's director of hypersonics, said, "This is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global reach and commercial transportation."

Four X-51A cruisers have been built for the Air Force, and the remaining three will be tested this autumn.

source

Lol, had to do a double take when I read the headline and glanced at the photo the first time

Steyr

Already reported by me in the News Section, please look there more often...

Mr Benevolent

Already reported by me in the News Section, please look there more often...

Yes, but that's boring. It's a pain to pick interesting news out of the usual 'country buys 10 fighters' crap. This is interesting and noteworthy news that will affect the future of air transport and more, not some boring stuff about the latest maintenance contract extension in Azerbaijan.

cyrusdvirus

Steyr wrote: »

Already reported by me in the News Section, please look there more often...

Who died and made you a mod??
Confab has a point there steyr.

Tabnabs

I find the aviation news thread fairly boring myself, but will add to it if it's the appropriate place to do so. It could be good if only the topics were more interesting and less like a secondary school science report

View Profile

Yeah news thread is fairly boring specially if you have already read it on Avherald or Flightglobal.

Maybe try and keep the news thread more about domestic stories....?

andy_g

And this thread has gone so far off topic its not even funny. if you have a problem with a thread, post, poster ETC report it.
I dont want to see backseat modding and the likes just report the post.

Thread derailed. LOCKED

pclancy

Steyr wrote: »

Already reported by me in the News Section, please look there more often...

David come on man, you don't OWN the news. :rolleyes: