15 Ogos 2012

Aircraft that does 4,300pmh set for take-off

This undated US Air Force illustration shows the he X-51A Waverider, under the wing of a B-52 Stratobomber. The X-51A WaveRider, an unmanned aircraft that could reach speeds up to 3,600 mph (5,793 kph), will be launched from the wing of a B-52 on a test flight over the Pacific Ocean on August 14, 2012. Powered by a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne SJY61 scramjet engine, it is designed to ride on its own shockwavem and accelerate to about Mach 6
Hypersonic ... the WaveRider will travel six times speed of sound

THE US Air Force is set to test a superfast plane designed to fly at SIX TIMES the speed of sound, or about 4,300 mph.

The hypersonic aircraft - even faster than concorde - is intended to allow the Pentagon to deliver strikes around the globe within minutes.

At its top speed the WaveRider could travel from London to New York in about an hour.

It will be tested later today when it’s dropped by a B-52 bomber and takes flight off the California coast.

Engineers hope it sustains its top speed for 300 seconds, twice as long as it’s gone before.

In its most recent test last year, the Boeing-designed X-51 fell for about four seconds before its booster rocket ignited, but the aircraft failed to separate from the rocket and plunged into the ocean.

This undated US Air Force illustration shows the he X-51A Waverider, under the wing of a B-52 Stratobomber. The X-51A WaveRider, an unmanned aircraft that could reach speeds up to 3,600 mph (5,793 kph), will be launched from the wing of a B-52 on a test flight over the Pacific Ocean on August 14, 2012. Powered by a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne SJY61 scramjet engine, it is designed to ride on its own shockwavem and accelerate to about Mach 6
Fighter ... the plane is being tested by US Air Force
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