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Boeing's HyFly hypersonic missile fails in bid for Mach 6
Flightglobal.com ^
| 11/02/08
| Graham Warwick
Posted on 02/12/2008 6:47:49 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Boeing's HyFly hypersonic missile fails in bid for Mach 6
By Graham Warwick
An attempt to fly a hypersonic cruise missile demonstrator at Mach 6 has failed, after the scramjet engine powering Boeing's HyFly malfunctioned and the air-launched vehicle plunged into the Pacific Ocean.
The January 16 flight was the last under the HyFly programme, which was designed to demonstrate a missile-like vehicle with a range of 400nm (740km) and a maximum cruise speed exceeding Mach 6. The previous flight, in September 2007, failed to meet its objectives.
The HyFly is powered by a dual-combustion ramjet (DCR) built by Aerojet. The DCR pre-burns liquid hydrocarbon fuel in a subsonic-combustion ramjet to generate a fuel-rich gas that is then burned in the supersonic-combustion ramjet. In the January test flight, the HyFly was launched from a Boeing F-15E off Pt Mugu, California and boosted by rocket motor to beyond Mach 3, where the dual-combustion ramjet was to take over and accelerate the vehicle to Mach 6.
"The scramjet engine did not operate as expected and, after approximately 58 seconds of flight, the vehicle impacted the ocean," says the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. "We're reviewing flight data and no further details are available.
In the September flight, the booster seperated and DCR ignited, but did not accelerate the vehicle as planned. Two previous test flights, in 2005, had demonstrated safe separation from the F-15E and verified booster rocket performance.
HyFly is a joint programme between DARPA and the Office of Naval Research. Other high-speed strike missile options are being pursued, including the US Air Force Research Laboratory's scramjet-powered X-51A, which is planned to fly 2009.
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; boeing; cruisemissiles; hyfly; hypersonic; miltech; scramjet; splash; x51
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© ONR
To: sukhoi-30mki
....after approximately 58 seconds of flight, the vehicle impacted the ocean," IOW, it crashed........
2
posted on
02/12/2008 6:51:10 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
To: Red Badger
3
posted on
02/12/2008 6:52:18 AM PST
by
TommyDale
(Never forget the Republicans who voted for illegal immigrant amnesty in 2007!)
To: sukhoi-30mki
That is one big ass weapon slung under that F-15.
4
posted on
02/12/2008 6:53:36 AM PST
by
bill1952
(I will vote for McCain if he resigns his Senate seat before this election.)
To: sukhoi-30mki
I'm not familiar with this program. Does anyone know the intended purpose? The range of 400nm makes me think it's intended for the navy. At mach 6 it would make a nice kinetic weapon for taking out a ship. Or it could be an anti-missile weapon (but I'd be surprised).
Anyone?
To: sukhoi-30mki
the vehicle impacted the oceanLOL!
6
posted on
02/12/2008 6:54:25 AM PST
by
sionnsar
(trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
To: TommyDale
Perhaps the Autopilot was disengaged.....
7
posted on
02/12/2008 6:55:21 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
To: ClearCase_guy
To: Red Badger
9
posted on
02/12/2008 6:56:13 AM PST
by
TommyDale
(Never forget the Republicans who voted for illegal immigrant amnesty in 2007!)
To: Red Badger
Well, it was a missile ;)
10
posted on
02/12/2008 6:56:58 AM PST
by
SJSAMPLE
To: TommyDale
I used to work for, what was then Bendix Avionics, and one of the products we made was that “Pull Up!” warning. You’d never believe where that came from............
11
posted on
02/12/2008 6:57:28 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
To: SJSAMPLE
and it went ballistic........
12
posted on
02/12/2008 6:58:11 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
To: ClearCase_guy
To: Red Badger
I thought it was from one of those old movies.
14
posted on
02/12/2008 6:58:42 AM PST
by
TommyDale
(Never forget the Republicans who voted for illegal immigrant amnesty in 2007!)
To: TommyDale
The pic, yes, but the actual FAA device, Ground Proximity Warning System, does actually say “Pull Up! Pull Up!”........
15
posted on
02/12/2008 7:00:00 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
To: sukhoi-30mki
The HyFly is powered by a dual-combustion ramjet (DCR) built by Aerojet.
Shoulda used a Hemi........
16
posted on
02/12/2008 7:01:46 AM PST
by
Hot Tabasco
( Don’t go messing with Smokey Taylor. He just bought a whole bunch of fresh ammo.)
To: Red Badger
17
posted on
02/12/2008 7:09:30 AM PST
by
longtermmemmory
(VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
To: Red Badger
IIRC, it says “Woop Woop Pull up Pull up.....”
18
posted on
02/12/2008 7:12:46 AM PST
by
wrench
To: Red Badger
Youd never believe where that came from............ It's an old movie line, isn't it? "Battle of Britain," or some such?
19
posted on
02/12/2008 7:13:47 AM PST
by
r9etb
To: longtermmemmory
The voice "Pull up!" was generated by the same device as the Texas Instruments "Speak & Spell" educational toy that was popular at the time...........
20
posted on
02/12/2008 7:15:57 AM PST
by
Red Badger
( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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