hypersonic plane

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China's 'Around the World' Missile Test Raises Alarms

'They look like a first-use weapon,' Gen. John Hyten says of hypersonic missile

(Newser) - The second-highest figure in the US military says a hypersonic missile China tested in July "went around the world," raising the possibility of a surprise nuclear attack on the US. "They launched a long-range missile. It went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that...

Spy Plane Can Fly Anywhere on Earth—in an Hour
Spy Plane Can Fly Anywhere on Earth—in an Hour 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Spy Plane Can Fly Anywhere on Earth—in an Hour

But aircraft won't be in service until 2030 at the earliest

(Newser) - Lockheed Martin is working on an unmanned spy plane that can travel at six times the speed of sound—meaning that no matter where it needs to go, it can be there in an hour, LiveScience reports. The SR-72, under development in California, is a follow-up to the SR-71 Blackbird,...

Ultra-Fast Test Craft Crashes
 Ultra-Fast Test Craft Crashes 

Ultra-Fast Test Craft Crashes

Unmanned Air Force WaveRider plunges into Pacific

(Newser) - It was supposed to be a step toward ultra-quick military strikes and maybe even passenger planes that could zip from coast to coast in under an hour . Instead, an unmanned hypersonic test craft crashed into the Pacific today shortly after being released from a B-52 bomber, reports AP . The Air...

5-Minute Hypersonic Flight Planned for Tomorrow

X-51A WaveRider will travel at Mach 6

(Newser) - Tomorrow, a hypersonic aircraft will zip above the Pacific Ocean at Mach 6 for 300 seconds—twice as long as any previous flight at that speed. Just how fast is Mach 6? A blazing 3,600mph—meaning it could get you from Los Angeles to New York in 46 minutes,...

US Military Loses Contact With Hypersonic Test Glider

Second HTV-2 flight appears to end much like the first

(Newser) - An unmanned hypersonic glider developed for US defense research into super-fast global strike capability was launched atop a rocket early today, but contact was lost after the experimental craft began flying on its own, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said. There was no immediate information on how much of...

Jet to Zoom From Paris to NYC in 90 Minutes

... But not for another 40 years

(Newser) - A jet in the works would travel four times the speed of sound—meaning a 90-minute flight from Paris to New York City or a 2-and-a-half-hour trip from Paris to Tokyo. ZEHRA is planned by the makers of the Concorde and would travel 3,125 mph, or twice as fast...

Experimental Jet Crushes Speed Record

Unmanned, hypersonic aircraft flies 3,500mph

(Newser) - The Air Force let loose with an unmanned, experimental hypersonic jet yesterday, and watched it shatter all manner of record. The X-51 WaveRider tore across the Pacific at 3,500 mph, using a hypersonic engine that runs on air and uses virtually no moving parts. It stayed airborne for 200...

Euro Jet Aims to Fly at Mach 5
Euro Jet Aims to Fly at Mach 5

Euro Jet Aims to Fly at Mach 5

Day trips to Australia in Europe's future

(Newser) - A futuristic hypersonic passenger plane that could carry 300 passengers at five times the speed of sound—more than 3,000 mph—is already on the drawing board in Britain. The A2, whose design is funded by the European Space Agency, could be in the air in 25 years if...

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