An unmanned hypersonic aircraft will soon be built and tested in America
It became known that representatives of the US Air Force signed a contract agreement with a startup Hermeus for the development and further complex of tests of a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle called Quaterhorse.
So, according to calculations, the drone will be able to move in the sky at a speed of more than five mach. And by 2025, at least three prototypes of the aircraft must be built and tested.
The race for hypersound is in full swing
Work on the creation of hypersonic aircraft is being carried out in many countries at once. But in the overwhelming number of variants we are talking about missiles or disposable gliders. But there are also companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who are engaged in the development of reusable supersonic drones.
So here's a startup Hermeus issued a statement stating that it has begun creating a hypersonic unmanned aircraft Quarterhorse back in 2019. And with a length of 12 meters, the wingspan of the aircraft is only three meters.
In this case, the maximum flight range of a hypersonic drone should be over 7402 kilometers, and the unit will be equipped with combined cycle turbojet engines, which are being developed on the basis of GE J85. According to the engineers, the engines will be capable of delivering speeds in excess of Mach five.
Representatives USAF issued a statement that on August 5, 2021, a contractual agreement was signed with Hermeus. So, according to the representatives of the startup, the development of a hypersonic drone is just another step towards the development of more dimensional hypersonic aircraft.
So to 2025 the same startup plans to develop a large drone for high-speed cargo transportation, as well as reconnaissance. And to 2029 year, according to the plan, a full-fledged hypersonic passenger aircraft will be created.
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