U.S. Military Tests Hypersonic X-51 Waverider
Posted on August 14, 2012
The U.S. military tested its hypersonic Waverider (the X-51) today. The vehicle relies on what Boeing describes as a "a scalable, robust endothermic hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet propulsion system." The hypersonic jet plane - designed to reach speeds of Mach 6 or higher - was dropped from a B52-bomber.
If the technology could someday be used for commercial travel it would mean passengers could get from London to New York in just one hour. That's not anywhere near being possible today as CNN reports the plane is only a few inches in diameter and 25 feet long. CNN also says the Air Force's current focus with the technology is to build faster weapons, not create a new type of commercial aircraft.
The Waverider reached a flight speed of approximately Mach 5.0 for approximately 140 seconds in May, 2010. Reuters says the results of today's test will be announced on Wednesday. Take a look: