Boeing unveils proof-of-concept design for next-generation hypersonic aircraft

Even after Concorde was retired in 2003, airliners still struggle to reach supersonic speeds, and Boeing and Airbus’ most advanced aircraft remain well below subsonic levels. But aerospace researchers are relentlessly pursuing the development of the next generation of hypersonic aircraft, with US airlines Boeing and Lockheed Martin said to be working hard on such projects. There is.

Boeing, the world’s largest jetliner maker, has revealed details of a new design for its hypersonic spy plane. The company says the plane will reach Mach 5 , making it one of the fastest aircraft in the sky. For the uninitiated, Mach 1 is the speed of sound calculated as 343 m/s ( 1,235 km/h) at 20 °C , but varies depending on temperature and humidity. Mach 5 is five times the speed of sound and has been achieved by a small number of aircraft, including Boeing’s own unmanned rocket-powered X-51A Waverider, which once flew at Mach 5 for more than 200 seconds.

@Boeing wraps off Mach 5+ hypersonic aircraft candidate “Son of Blackbird” with #AIAASciTech pic.twitter.com/P9fkfq5Xgx

— Guy Norris (@AvWeekGuy) January 10, 2018

Boeing’s next design is said to be based on the X-51A concept and NASA’s X-43 project , and details were announced at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ SciTech convention in Florida earlier this month. The spacecraft is still in the design stage and has not yet entered full-scale development, but the company claims it is a viable design as a “reusable hypersonic demonstrator.”

According to an interview with Kevin Bowcutt, Boeing’s director of hypersonics research, in Aviation Week, the company’s leading scientists conducted a lot of independent research before settling on the final design. If the design is ultimately approved, the company is expected to start with a “single-engine F-16-sized proof-of-concept precursor” before beginning work on a fully operational twin-engine aircraft. Measures approximately 107 feet.

Of course, Boeing isn’t the only company currently believed to be working on hypersonic aircraft. Lockheed Martin is also widely known to be working on its own next-generation hypersonic aircraft, which is expected to replace the iconic SR-71 Blackbird, which was grounded by the Air Force exactly 20 years ago. It has been reported.