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NASA's Flying Wing Breaks 2 Records

Posted by Hemos on from the still-going-still-going dept.

ELBnet writes "CNN reports in this story that NASA's Helios flying wing broke the altitude records for both a propeller and jet aircraft with an altitude of 85,100 feet... and they were still climbing shooting for 100,000."

1 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"David's Sling" by Caid+Raspa · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Lets face it, even with a small payload, like 600 lbs,

    The thing itself weighs about 1600 lbs, so 600 lbs is lots, but with something like 60 lbs could also have quite nasty effects.

    that's two reasonably effective gravity bombs

    Why gravity bombs? Both Russian and US armies have 'tactical nukes' with a few kt power, that can be fired with a cannon. A small container of something (Anthrax? Smallpox? Nerve Gas?) would also be quite effecive.

    from an aircraft that is not even made of metal, so practically invisible to radar.

    So, you wouldn't even know who did it. As this is very public research, has the US army something better or have they not realized the potential of it?

    I hope it is the latter.