What's faster than a speeding bullet, doesn't require a cape and isn't deterred by kryptonite?
It's called the X-51 Waverider...and is the latest creation of Boeing and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne. This past May it completed the longest hypersonic combustion (scramjet) powered flight in aviation history, reaching a speed of about Mach five, or five times the speed of sound.
A scramjet engine is often likened to an air-breathing engine...it has no moving parts, and sucks in air from the atmosphere, rather than using oxidizers or additional fuel.
It is new technology engineers say will allow aircraft to fly faster and farther while using less overall fuel.
Officials from Boeing and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne say the future applications are beyond exciting. They range from high speed military operations, commercial flights and improved access to space. Engineers envision cross-country flights from Los Angeles to New York in a mere 45 minutes, and eventually an easier, cheaper and faster method of carrying payloads to and from the space station.
Click here to read the entire article with video:
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