Imagine being able to fly from Los Angeles to New York in 30 minutes.
That could become a reality as the Air Force tests its unmanned Hypersonic X - 51 Waverider. On Wednesday, the aircraft, which resembles a missile, was dropped from underneath the wing of a B-52 bomber at the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range.The Waverider successfully traveled for 200 seconds at a record speed of 3,500 mph. It then followed its scheduled flight path and fell into the Pacific Ocean.
This isn't the first time the Air Force has tested this technology, but previous attempted flights haven't lasted longer than 10 seconds.
The term hypersonic refers to a speeds at least five times the speed of sound. The engines on the aircraft are air-breathing and have very few moving parts. Flying at 3,500 mph would be nearly seven times as fast as a conventional airliner.
The aircraft's technology is essentially looking for a home. In addition to the air transportation angle, the military is also encouraged at the prospect of amazing first-strike capabilities. Almost any target selected anywhere in the world could potentially be arrived at in an hour or less. With both civilian and military applications, it should be interesting to see where the technology goes once perfected. That could take a while.
Here's a link to Space.com and the LA Times for details.
