ATK, DARPA and ONR Achieve First-Ever Flight Test of a Scramjet Powered by Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuel

YAHOOOooooooo ^ | Thursday December 15, 9:00 am ET

[BenLurkin]

ATK-Designed Scramjet Flies in Excess of Mach 5 in a Missile Configuration

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK - News), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully ground-launched and flew a hypersonic scramjet-powered vehicle from the Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA in a pre-dawn launch on Saturday Dec. 10th. This was the first- ever freeflight of a scramjet-powered vehicle using conventional liquid hydrocarbon jet fuel. The launch and flight test were part of the Freeflight Atmospheric Scramjet Test Technique (FASTT) program sponsored by DARPA and ONR.

As the system integrator, ATK designed and built the FASTT vehicle. This was the first time the company had complete design authority over the hypersonic scramjet propulsion system and the airframe. In addition, ATK served as the mission manager for both the launch and the flight of the test vehicle including development of test plans and coordination of all design and mission readiness reviews.

ATK previously built the hydrogen-fueled X-43A Scramjet, the world-record holder for powered flight which obtained a top speed of nearly Mach 10 in a November 2004 flight test. "The successful FASTT flight test and ATK's record-setting X-43A flight-tests clearly position ATK as a world-leader in the development and test of hypersonic propulsion systems and airframes," said Blake Larson, President ATK Advanced Propulsion and Space Systems. "One goal of ATK's hypersonic flight program is to develop advanced hypersonic weaponry and this flight test is a significant step in that direction," said Larson

The FASTT vehicle was approximately 106" long and 11" in diameter. It integrated a Scramjet engine into a missile configuration. After separating from its booster rocket at more than 60,000 feet, the Scramjet engine ignited and propelled the vehicle at approximately 5,300 feet per second -- or Mach 5.5. Using JP-10 fuel, the Scramjet flew for at least 15 seconds while critical engineering data was captured via on-board sensors and tracking radars. The vehicle continued in stable flight mode until it splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean.

The ground-launched flight test demonstrated a viable and cost-effective flight-test method for future hypersonic Scramjet initiatives.

In addition to the FASTT program, ATK's Boost-to-Cruise initiative is developing hypersonic missile technologies capable of sustained flight at Mach 5 and delivering payloads on target more than 600 nautical miles down range.

ATK is a $3.1 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing approximately 15,000 people in 23 states. News and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com .

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward- looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: the challenges of developing hypersonic flight aircraft, changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

[BenLurkin]

Ping

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

conventional liquid hydrocarbon jet fuel.

I guess they mean JP5?

Can't wait until we can put our AA, AS, and SS missiles on Scram-jet platforms. It will take some serious engineering to develop defenses against them

[KevinDavis]

[Tinman73]

JP9 is also a common fuel used. More force per pound, thus greater range. Without saying too much, JP9 has been used with a certain current missile system to extend it's range though it originally was built to use JP5.

The fuel control system is adjustable.

[The Great RJ]

The long rumored Aurora spy plane successor to the SR-71 was thought to use similar technolgy.

[DuncanWaring]

According to the article, the fuel was "JP-10", whatever the heck that is.

[yatros from flatwater]

"The JP-10 is a liquid propellant called DICYCLOPENTADIENE. It is used for propulsion systems of short-range missiles, often combined with other chemicals. If you look-up in the USAF inventory, JP10 is catalogued as "Jet Propellant 10 (standard missile fuel, MIL-P-87107)", most commonly used in cruise missiles as well as short-range missiles like the "Harpoon" air-to-ship missile carried by the S3-B ASW aircraft."

From: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/aug2000/966261622.Ch.r.html

[SunkenCiv]

Interesting. The late Ben Rich, longtime colleague of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (both of Lockheed's Skunk Works) spoke cryptically of the beaded contrails of some reported black project vehicle flight tests spotted by civilians, saying only that such high velocity flights "would have to use" cryo-fuels. The SR-71 (a Skunk Works design) used (it sez here in the other window) JP-7, but A) was "only" capable of sustained flight above Mach 3, and B) used variable geometry inlets on the engines, consisting of a sort of cone that moved forward or aft as needed. The old beaded contrail sightings suggest a pulse detonation, perhaps using part of the shock wave from the hypersonic flight (along with variable geometry) to create the pulse.

[Centurion2000]

Looks like the next generation of air to air and surface to air missiles will be coming soon.

I wonder how good ones of these would be at attacking an inbound ICBM warhead? Not quite the same speed but certainly an advantage.