BLUF
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency developed a series of experimental platforms designated X-Planes—Chuck Yeager flew X-1 in the 1940s- the first pilot to break the sound barrier officially.Summary
Isaac Schultz writing in Gizmodo AU, describes the X-planes, such as:
- X-33 was a conceptual liquid hydrogen-fuelled, wedge-shaped uncrewed reusable vehicle that launched vertically and landed horizontally.
- X43 (Hyper-X) used scramjet propulsion to reach Mach 9.6 (11,265 km per hour) for about 10 seconds.
- Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST is a long-nosed supersonic plane that can fly without a sonic boom.
References
- MILITARY HISTORY: INDEX of PAGES AND COLLECTIONS ON THE RAAF RUNWAY
- DEC 2021 Why a Mach 5 passenger plane is a crazy idea that might just work-CNN
- JUN 2022 Venus Aerospace unveils its new dart-like Mach 9 hypersonic plane design-Space.com
Source Information:
- Article Source: Gizmodo Australia | The News Of Tomorrow, Today
- Media Check: Gizmodo - Media Bias/Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
