When the Auroroa is finally revealed, I'll bet it flies in excess of this speed. And we developed that when, fifteen to twenty years ago?
I don't know about Auroroa, but I've seen satellites as bright as the Shuttle that don't show up on any of the tracking programs and they aren't Iridiums. About three weeks ago I saw a pair of them about a degree apart. Quite a sight. They are in an orbital inclination that makes me believe they belong to the USA, not Russia or China.
Recon aircraft are a little different breed than others. For instance, the SR-71 operating procedure was to let tanks LEAK all over the place on the ground, and when the aircraft got up to its cruising speed, the tanks would seal up due to heat expansion. Well, at least that’s what I’ve heard. So, just because we had the Aurora operational as a recon aircraft (and probably other recon craft that are still black), doesn’t necessarily mean its technology would be able to filter down to the mass market or even regular military market.
The XB-70 was a trans-sonic (*Hypersonic* by definition) ‘wave rider’ that burned hydrocarbon fuel. First flight was 1964, actual design work started in 1958.
Ernst would be proud.....