X-51A Hypersonic Plane Makes Record Flight

Early Monday morning Boeing successfully completed the longest air-breathing, scramjet-powered hypersonic flight in history.  The flight, which lasted three and a half minutes, saw Boeing’s X-51A Waverider reach a top speed of Mach 5.1.

After nearly three years of ground trials, and numerous test flight failures that nearly spelled the end of the program, the X-51 availed itself of previous problems and proved itself to be capable of flying at hypersonic speeds. 

Due to the physics behind scramjets operation the X-51 was flowing into the air on the wing of a B-52. Once the B-52 reached and altitude of 50,000ft (15,240m) the X-51 was freed from the B-52s wing and a solid rocket booster (SRB) was used to accelerate the scramjet to Mach 4.8 (3,168mph 5,098 km/h). Once at that speed the scramjet ignited, and for the next 240 seconds the scramjet screamed through the atmosphere at Mach 5.1,  only stopping when it exhausted its fuel.  

Darryl Davis, president of Boeing’s Phantom Works the company’s top secret, advanced R&D wing, was excited by the tests results. “This demonstration of a practical hypersonic scramjet engine is a historic achievement that has been years in the making… This test proves the technology has matured to the point that it opens the door to practical applications, such as advanced defense systems and more cost-effective access to space.”

While the successful flight of the X-51A marks the end of the Boeing project both the military and NASA have expressed interest in exploring the Waveriders technology further.  If the technology can mature successfully coming decades may see aircraft that reach Mach 15 and can fly to space using only a single stage.

Watch a Video About the X-51 Waverider:

Images and Video Courtesy of Boeing