Hypersonic

Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Northrop Grumman successfully flew an air-breathing hypersonic missile. Part of a program for DARPA and the US Air Force, the HAWC prototype promises hypersonic missiles that can fly farther and at lower altitudes.

One way scientists hope to prevent hypersonic aircraft from overheating is by having the propellant do double duty as a coolant, and newly developed 3D-printed catalysts could be the missing piece to this puzzle.

The US Air Force has awarded US$60 million to aerospace startup Hermeus for flight testing of its hypersonic aircraft for military and commercial applications. Capable of flying at Mach 5, the Quarterhorse will be the world's fastest reusable aircraft.

As hypersonic missiles rapidly move toward becoming practical weapons, the problem of how to counter them is also on the agenda. The US Department of Defense developing a CubeSats-based system to track these missiles in all phases of their flight.

UCF researchers say they've trapped a sustained explosive detonation, fixed in place, for the first time, channeling its enormous power into thrust in a new detonation engine that could propel a hypersonic aircraft up to 17 times the speed of sound.

The US Air Force's long anticipated first powered flight test of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile was scrubbed this week when the booster vehicle failed to launch from the B-52H Stratofortress bomber.

Aerojet Rocketdyne and the US Air Force Research Laboratory have achieved a new record thrust output from a scramjet engine, generating 13,000 lb of thrust with over an hour of combustion under various hypersonic conditions.

Two variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) being developed for DARPA and the US Air Force have completed their final captive carry flight tests and are now cleared for their first free-flight tests within the next year.

Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force have completed the first flight test of a tactical version of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW, which was strapped beneath the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress bomber.

Stratolaunch, the company behind the world’s largest plane, has unveiled plans for a hypersonic vehicle capable of hitting Mach 6 speeds. Called the Talon-A, the aircraft is designed for rapid testing advanced flight technologies.

Hypersonic missiles that travel at Mach 5 and above are potential game-changers for military planners. The US Department of Defense has completed a test of its Common Hypersonic Glide Body, which will be the basis for a future class of such weapons.

The US Air Force has completed ground test firings at Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, Florida, of a new rocket designed to provide affordable access to hypersonic flight conditions to accelerate development of the technology.