US-Australia Gun For Hypersonic Aircraft Edge On China
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Loading... - Irina Volikov
- 22 Mar 2023
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The US and Australia have announced plans to develop a hypersonic aircraft, the latest development in the AUKUS allies' high-tech defense partnership that is fast-transforming the region's security dynamics.
This week, defense news reported that the US Department of Defense (DOD) has selected Australia-based aerospace company Hypersonix to develop a high-speed aircraft to test hypersonic technologies. The report says that the aircraft will support America's Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT) program, which aims to enlist the private sector and military users to alleviate strain on government testing facilities.
Defense News mentions commercial companies are forging toward reusable and low-cost launch vehicles, with the HyCAT representing a paradigm shift in hypersonics from weapons to aircraft. It also says that testing has been a significant roadblock in hypersonic weapons development and that the US plans to increase the pace of weapons tests with one HyCAT test a year as part of the strategy.
Hypersonix's DART AE aircraft is powered by a hydrogen-powered scramjet that can reach Mach 7 and test high-speed platforms, components, sensors, communications and control systems. It is slated for its first flight in 2024, according to Defense News. Data from DART AE tests may be used to develop a hypersonic spy plane. in december 2022, asia times reported on US plans to develop Project Mayhem, which may be the successor to the vaunted SR-71 spy plane.
The US awarded Virginia-based aerospace firm Leidos a US$334 million price ceiling to develop a“larger class air-breathing hypersonic system capable of executing multiple missions with a standardized payload interface, providing a significant technological advancement and future capability.” Leidos will work at the Wright-Patterson Air Base in Ohio and other testing sites, with the project expected to be completed by October 2028.
The aircraft, dubbed the SR-72, is envisioned to perform multiple missions including delivering area-effect or unitary payloads or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is planned to be powered by a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) powerplant scheme. In TBCC, jet engines would provide the initial boost to get the aircraft to optimal speed for its scramjet engines to kick in for hypersonic flight.
The SR-72 and US hypersonic weapons may use Australian engines. asia times reported in april 2022 that Hypersonix presented its hypersonic engine technology to US defense officials in March that year in a bid to jumpstart the US' laggard hypersonic weapons program, which is perceived to be trailing China. Read More…
