Test jet sets new air speed record by JohnDotCom


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JohnDotCom
Test jet sets new air speed record


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

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Test jet sets new air speed record Enlarge photo 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.
John

"My lovely car now sold onto a very happy new owner.
I still love this marque and I will still be around, preferred selling to breaking, as a great runner and performer"

Posted 27 May 2010, 18:59 #1 

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Jürgen
at six times the speed of sound


Wow, that's not bad.

Would be nice to have something like that to visit friends. :)

Posted 28 May 2010, 18:28 #2 

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takestock
Sometimes the technology around is scarey, then on the other hand cannot cure a cold.
Photobucket = Tossers

Dave....

Posted 28 May 2010, 19:26 #3 

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raistlin
From a professional point of view, I'd be very interested to see the Schlieren imaging of the shock waves at that sort of speed.

Hypersonics is outside our remit in the aerodynamics phase at the college and as such our supersonic wind tunnel barely makes Mach 2 :(

Schlieren imaging is the method used to highlight the pressure changes around an aerofoil in a wind tunnel, in case anybody isn't sure :)
Paul

Cogito ergo sum... maybe?

Click the image to go to Nano-Meet Website
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Posted 29 May 2010, 10:39 #4 

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JohnDotCom
I'll see if I can get anything sent across from Boeing US.
Unless you have any contacts in the US Air Force?
John

"My lovely car now sold onto a very happy new owner.
I still love this marque and I will still be around, preferred selling to breaking, as a great runner and performer"

Posted 29 May 2010, 11:06 #5 


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