The Air Force has successfully launched the X-51 WaveRider hypersonic missile, bringing the military one step closer to a Mach 6 cruise missile that's 10 times faster than current models.
An observer tells Danger Room the test was "mostly successful," with more than 200 seconds of accelerating powered flight. "Clean separation, perfect engine start, acceleration under power," our source says. "Some hitches at the end of flight, but overall it's a magnificent first flight."
The X-51 is part of an effort to develop a new class of cruise missile that can handle hypersonic flight. The WaveRider – built by Boeing Phantom Works and engine maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne – is built around a scramjet design, which employs a supersonic mix of air and jet fuel to reach extreme speeds.
This test was run from Edwards Air Force Base, California. As this embedded video shows, a B-52 had to carry the WaveRider 50,000 feet. After the bomber released the aircraft, an attached solid rocket booster was supposed to accelerate the WaveRider to about Mach 4.5. After the booster fell away, the scramjet was supposed to kick in, taking the aircraft up to Mach 6.
A first flight attempt was scrubbed yesterday, after a tanker ship sailed into the splash zone. We're waiting for more details, but if all went to plan, this may be the longest-ever hypersonic flight powered by scramjet propulsion.
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