No longer true with modern fighter engines. The F-22 Raptor can cruise supersonic at military power without afterburner so its fuel consumption is far less at Mach 1.5-2 than prior jets like the F-15 or SR-71.
Another poster pointed out that ramjets are very efficient at hypersonic speeds, but must be launched by a supersonic aircraft.
No longer true with modern fighter engines. The F-22 Raptor can cruise supersonic at military power without afterburner so its fuel consumption is far less at Mach 1.5-2 than prior jets like the F-15 or SR-71.
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What you note is true, but my comment was in regard to the SUSTAINED flight over long distances that a cruise missle is intended to do (given these really are designed for such service) -— you cannot SUSTAIN supersonic speeds without considerable fuel consumption as compared to how our cruise missles fly at subsonic speeds over great distances very efficiently.
No longer true with modern fighter engines. The F-22 Raptor can cruise supersonic at military power without afterburner so its fuel consumption is far less at Mach 1.5-2 than prior jets like the F-15 or SR-71.
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What you note is true, but my comment was in regard to the SUSTAINED flight over long distances that a cruise missle is intended to do (given these really are designed for such service) -— you cannot SUSTAIN supersonic speeds without considerable fuel consumption as compared to how our cruise missles fly at subsonic speeds over great distances very efficiently.