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USAF Scramjet Hits Mach 6, Sets Record

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the get-where-yer-going dept.

s122604 writes "The [X-51A Waverider]'s scramjet engine accelerated the vehicle to Mach 6, and it flew autonomously for 200 seconds before losing acceleration. At that point the test was terminated. The Air Force said the previous record for a hypersonic scramjet burn was 12 seconds. Joe Vogel, Boeing's director of hypersonics, said, 'This is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global reach and commercial transportation.'"

1 of 326 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Why so short bursts? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yes, and the next flights rapidly increased in duration.
    The Wright brothers already had something in 1903 that scramjets never had so far, passengers.
    From Wiki: "While very short suborbital scramjet test flights have been performed, no flown scramjet has ever been designed to survive a flight test."
    Scramjets don't even survive their flights. I think the Wrioght brothers win here again.
    We've been dicking at scramjets for decades. It's a go-nowhere technology designed to generate degrees (as in PhDs, not temperature), mostly for weapons reasearch. Weapons against who, I don't know.

    This will never be a practical, money-making technology. It's almost as bad as fusion power.