The United States tests a hypersonic plane that can exceed the speed of 6 thousand km per hour!

The US Navy will carry out tests using a hypersonic aircraft developed by Stratolaunch. Tests will be conducted at the North American government’s Leidos program.

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Talon-A is launched from an altitude of 10 thousand meters

• In the testing and development phase, the Talon-A is an autonomous aircraft that can reach speeds in excess of Mach 5 (up to an incredible 6,174 km/h).
• The hypersonic vehicle has a drone-like shape and is not launched from the ground, but another missile aircraft called the Roc and is considered the world’s largest.
• Recently, there have been advances in preparation for the first launch, with Talon-A completing a refueling “wet test” while the mothership taxied to the runway at Mojave Spaceport.
• According to those responsible for the technology, the launch occurs only when an altitude of 10 thousand meters is reached.
• The Talon-A is 8.5 meters long and has a wingspan of 3.4 meters.
• Information from Automatic evolution.

Experiments at hypersonic speeds

In addition to military duties tested by the US government in this first phase, Stratolaunch plans to deliver the technology to conventional aircraft. The idea is to look for customers who want to run experiments at hypersonic speeds, although it’s not clear exactly how this will happen.

According to the company, data collected during upcoming flights is “designed to provide insights into technology improvements and capability validation.”

There is no word on when the first test flights will take place. Because the technology is being tested by the US government for military purposes, the work is mostly done in secret.