X-51A Waverider Breaks Longest Hypersonic Flight Record

The United States Air Force (USAF) announces that its new experimental aircraft X-51A Waverider managed to break the world record for the longest hypersonic flight ever. The machine, which is powered by a highly-advanced propulsion system known as a scramjet, managed to fly for more than three minutes at Mach 5 on Wednesday (May 28), at five times the speed of sound. The demonstrator plane was launched from under a B-52 Stratofortress long-distance strategic bomber. The tests took place off the southern coasts of California, above the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Space reports.

The previous record for scramjet ignition was established in 2004 by an aircraft belonging to NASA, which managed to fly powered by its high-tech propulsion system for only 12 seconds. The Waverider managed to sustain powered flight for more than 200 seconds, making it the incontestable leader of the pack, and tens of times more efficient than the X-43 the space agency tested. A scramjet is an engine that breathes air, compressing it mechanically – through its aerodynamic design – in the burning chamber.

“We are ecstatic to have accomplished most of our test points on the X-51A's very first hypersonic mission. We equate this leap in engine technology as equivalent to the post-World War II jump from propeller-driven aircraft to jet engines,” says in the USAF statement X-51A program manager Charlie Brink. He leads the program from the Ohio-based Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) Air Force Research Laboratory. The official adds that the tests were meant to assess the thermal protection system on the aircraft, and its stability and flight control systems, in addition to the engine's performances.

“Now we will go back and really scrutinize our data. No test is perfect, and I'm sure we will find anomalies that we will need to address before the next flight. But anyone will tell you that we learn just as much, if not more, when we encounter a glitch,” he adds. The Waverider got its name from the fact that it actually “rides” the shock-wave it produces at the tremendous speeds it catches on. The 4.2-meter aircraft is powered by an SJY61 scramjet engine, which was built by respected manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The new technology is being developed by the USAF Research Laboratory, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and other partners.