X 51 hypersonic final flight. The x 51 is being used to demonstrate the speeds and various aspects of hypersonic flight. Courtesy video defense media activity air force part. It completed its first powered hypersonic flight on 26 may 2010. Also contains an animation of the first flight.
The x 51 unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft undergoing integration and testing. The x 51a is designed to be launched from an airborne b 52 stratofortress bomber. The experimental x 51a waverider is an unmanned autonomous supersonic combustion ramjet powered hypersonic flight test demonstrator for the us. By us air force from usa x 51 hypersonic final flight public domain httpscommons.
Russia and china have recently touted their progress in developing hypersonic vehicles which fly much faster than the speed of sound which is 767 mph. The air forces x 51a waverider reached a top speed of mach 51. Us air force mach 6 hypersonic. See video of the x 51as final flight.
While the previous test in august 2012 was a failure wednesdays mission pulled off the longest air breathing hypersonic flight ever officials said. Military launched an experimental hypersonic aircraft on its swan song test flight wednesday may 1 accelerating the craft to more than five times the speed of sound in the longest ever mission for a vehicle of its kind. Artists rendering of the x51 wave rider during its first hypersonic flight. The boeing x 51 waverider is an unmanned research scramjet experimental aircraft for hypersonic flight at mach 5 3300 mph.
The x 51 during antenna testing. Hypersonic missiles are rocket boosted to high altitude and may be launched from land sea or air. Footage of a b 52 taking off with the x 51 attached. Air force research laboratorys afrl boeing x 51a waverider demonstrator successfully achieved sustained scramjet powered air breathing hypersonic flight above mach 5 in its final.
The aircraft was designated x 51 in 2005.