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Posted on 12/13/2025 2:57:15 AM PST by DFG
From a distance, it looks like a war plane imagined by Hayao Miyazaki, or the type of machine that could only exist in a science fiction novel.
But according to aviation enthusiasts who captured footage of it soaring in the California skies last week, it’s an experimental aircraft designed by Stratolaunch, an aerospace company located in the Mojave Desert. Chances are, residents in surrounding towns will see more of it, too.
Described as the world’s largest flying aircraft, Roc — which looks like two 747s fused together and has a wingspan larger than a football field — recently completed a series of test flights last year, where it reached an altitude of 35,000 feet. Named after a large bird of prey from Arabian folklore, the unique composite aircraft has six engines, a 385-foot wingspan, and a takeoff weight of 1.3 million pounds. According to Stratolaunch’s website, the legendary bird was so large, it could carry elephants and transport sailors to safety. Similarly, it appears that the 21st-century iteration is designed to carry another Stratolaunch aircraft, the fully autonomous Talon-A2, which is capable of reaching hypersonic speeds when released into the air — that’s five times the speed of sound.
Photos show the enormous plane taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field, an aerospace testing center in the high desert. First established in 1935 as a small, rural airport for silver and gold mining industries, by World War II, it became a gunnery training site for America’s “aces,” or most skilled fighter pilots. Today, it serves as a testing ground for more than 60 aerospace companies, its website says.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
World’s largest plane soars to its highest altitude yet [06/17/2022]
Stratolaunch aircraft makes 2nd test flight over SoCal desert [04/30/2021]
Stratolaunch to launch hypersonic vehicles from world’s biggest airplane [04/01/2020]
Stratolaunch space company denies rumors it’s closing down [06/03/2019]
The world’s largest plane just flew for the first time [04/13/2019]
Stratolaunch Abandons Launch Vehicle Program for World’s Largest Airplane [01/23/2019]
Why More Taxpayer Funding to Elon Musk’s Big F-ing Rocket Would Be a Big F-ing Mistake [04/21/2018]
Stratolaunch’s Monster Jet Completes First Test-Drive Down Runway [12/19/2017]
Paul Allen’s Ginormous Stratolaunch Carrier Plane Rolls Out for 1st Time [05/31/2017]
Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch Systems brings monster plane out of hangar for first time [05/31/2017]
This Will Be the World’s Largest Plane [06/28/2015]
Paul Allen Launches ‘Vulcan Aerospace’ to Boost Private Space Travel [04/16/2015]
New photos reveal mammoth structure of Paul Allen’s six-engine Stratolaunch [02/25/2015]
Stratolaunch plane could make space tourism affordable [12/14/2011]
Microsoft Co-Founder To Build Giant Plane To Launch People, Cargo Into Space [12/13/2011]
SpaceShipOne soars toward $10 million X Prize as first private, manned rocket into space [10/04/2004]
1 posted on 5/9/2025, 11:46:23 AM by SunkenCiv
It certainly does not look like two 747’s in any way, shape or form.
“The empty spot on the middle wing is intended to launch another airplane at high altitude to go to near-earth orbit or even low-earth orbit.”
I think it was originally designed to launch rockets but they have backed away from doing it. I don’t know why; seems like a good idea. The weight of these large rockets is mostly fuel that it takes to get them to about 35,000 feet, burning about twelve tons of fuel per second.
Bumblebees look aerodynamically unsound.
This doesn’t look like it would go fast at all.
See comment #15.
Arianna Bindman= Stupid Journalist.
If it’s wingspan is 385’, it looks like the distance between the gear is about a third of that—which means they need a runway with a minimum width of least 130’ (if you land it absolutely perfectly on the middle of runway—with the pilot perspective on the sides, not the center line). I won’t even mention taxiways. Good luck.
And I won’t mention a crosswind either.
First glance tells me it would snap in half quicker than a wishbone at Thanksgiving, and would need to refuel every 45 minutes. I think it’s fake.
Zactly.
Like to know where it could take off and land.
380 has enough issues😂
My thoughts exactly. Yes, it’s an ambitious project, but doesn’t look too practical.
This started as a Burt Rutan/Scaled Composites project. It’s designed specifically to air drop an external payload of 550,000 pounds — which is 50,000 lbs more than the empty weight of the airframe— and with as much as a 90-foot wingspan.
The payload makes the central wing bend down, while the outer wings, in generating lift, are bending up. With a max payload the bending moment at the middle of the center wing (while in flight) would be 800 million inch-pounds.
To withstand that load the wings have four uninterrupted carbon fiber spars that weigh 60,000 lbs each. So the wing spars required to support that bending moment amount to 48% of the empty weight of the airframe.
What it doesn’t look like is a flying aircraft carrier, unless you have terrible vision and weren’t wearing your glasses. there have been stories, without the hyperbolic headline, about this aircraft for months. I guess the reporter at SFGate couldn’t come up with anything of their own so started looking through other peoples old stories and put a stupid spin on it.
Looks like something a Rutan designed. I swear I’ve seen before.
It’s a nonsense rejoinder. Like “No soap. Radio.” Or “6-7.”
I’ve seen it in person. It’s incredible.
I’m with you. Doesn’t make sense. Definitely AI.
The egos of some of the rich, and their big boy toys make no sense. But they love their toys.
It’s a launch platform You can see it on Youtube. Look up Burt Rutan aircraft and look at the images. Scaled Composites may have built it.
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