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The supersonic speed range is that range of speeds within which all of the airflow over an aircraft is supersonic (more than Mach 1). But airflow meeting the leading edges is initially decelerated, so the free stream speed must be slightly greater than Mach 1 to ensure that all of the flow over the aircraft is supersonic.
The vehicle design was intended to have about 20,000 kilometres (11,000 nautical miles) range and good subsonic and supersonic speed fuel efficiency, thus avoiding the problems inherent in earlier supersonic aircraft. The top speed is projected to be Mach 5+.
The waverider remains a well-studied design for high-speed aircraft in the Mach 5 and higher hypersonic regime, although no such design has yet entered production. The Boeing X-51 scramjet demonstration aircraft was tested from 2010 to 2013. In its final test flight, it reached a speed of Mach 5.1 (5,400 km/h; 3,400 mph). [1] [2]
The first full-scale supersonic passenger jet is expected to perform its maiden flight in 2027, according to the South China Morning Post, who first reported the test flight.
Quarterhorse, the Air Force's next hypersonic aircraft, has taken an epic leap. The SR-71 Blackbird successor is a step closer to breaking the airspeed record.
The first manufactured object to achieve hypersonic flight was the two-stage Bumper rocket, consisting of a WAC Corporal second stage set on top of a V-2 first stage. In February 1949, at White Sands, the rocket reached a speed of 8,290 km/h (5,150 mph), or about Mach 6.7. [2]
It is commonly accepted that the supersonic speed range starts at a free stream speed greater than Mach 1.3. Aircraft designed to fly at supersonic speeds show large differences in their aerodynamic design because of the radical differences in the behavior of flows above Mach 1. Sharp edges, thin aerofoil sections, and all-moving tailplane ...
The X-43A aircraft was a small unpiloted test vehicle measuring just over 3.7 m (12 ft) in length. [4] The vehicle was a lifting body design, where the body of the aircraft provides a significant amount of lift for flight, rather than relying on wings. The aircraft weighed roughly 1,400 kg (3,000 lb).