Military to test hypersonic jet which could zip across the U.S. within an hour

A superfast jet which could fly from L.A. to New York City in less than 1 hour perhaps one move closer to fact after a vital test this week. The X-51A WaveRider, an unmanned aircraft which could reach speeds up to Mach 6 would be launched from the wing of a B-52 bomber high above the Pacific Ocean. The Wave-Rider is predicted to zip up into the environment and fly at hypersonic speeds 3,600 mph for 300 seconds, before breaking up into the ocean.

In case successful, it may be the longest jaunt for the test aircraft. The development of Wave-Rider may well lead to improvement on a passenger jet that may theoretically travel across the U.S. in 46 minutes. Attaining sustained hypersonic flight is much like going from propeller-driven aircraft to jet aircraft. However beyond passenger flights, attaining hypersonic speeds may also result in the development of the next generation of missiles, space vehicles and military aircraft, the Times points out. The Wave-Rider program had a concern in June of 2011 when the test vehicle in the same test to the one planned for Tuesday did not succeed to reach full power.

The Pentagon stated it invested about $2 billion on technology and engineering around hypersonic flight during the last decade, the Times reports. This program is expected to cost $140 million, according to www.globalsecurity.org, a military policy research website. If you are holding score, the Concorde, a supersonic airliner, crossed the Atlantic at 1,350 mph. It might take on about 3.5 hours, about twice as fast as up-to-date commercial airlines. The Concorde was retired in 2003.

 

courtesy: www.dreamzs.net
Military to test hypersonic jet which could zip across the U.S. within an hour