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Air Force Wants Hypersonic Missiles for Stealth Jets

Posted on June 8, 2012 by modelworks

For 10 years, the military has tried — with little success — to build missiles capable of traveling at breakneck, hypersonic speeds. Missile tests, however, have been uneven, with repeated failures punctuated by the occasional stunning success. Now USAF is taking a bigger role by seeking to build another hypersonic missile, this time for its stealth fighter jets. An X-51 Waverider hypersonic missile attached to the wing of a B-52 bomber. The Air Force seeks to build a smaller variant for its stealth fighters. Photo: Boeing

That’s the hope, at least. The U.S. military has a mixed record with hypersonics. Last August, the Pentagon’s pizza-shaped Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 failed for a second (and likely final) time, crashing into the Pacific during a test flight. But the Army’s Advanced Hypersonic Weapon did much better during a test in November. Two years ago, the Air Force successfully flew its X-51 WaveRider scramjet missile at speeds of Mach 5 for 200 seconds after launching it off a B-52 bomber. A later test, though, ended with engine failure.

Unlike those weapons, though, the High Speed Strike Weapon isn’t a so-called “Global Strike” weapon. Those weapons are supposed to hit anywhere on Planet Earth at any time. The former Falcon missile, for instance, was designed to launch with a rocket into space, before screaming back down to Earth and obliterating its target. But those weapons are indistinguishable from a nuclear weapon when seen on radar — which could inadvertently trigger nuclear Armageddon once a surprised nuclear power like Russia sees one in the air.

A fighter-launched missile resembles any other smaller, non-nuclear missile. It’s just traveling super-fast. Armageddon averted.

Showcase Models delivers not just desktop model planes but also model bombs and missiles on a sturdy wooden base for a perfect display feature in your office desk!

News source: http://www.wired.com






Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: b-52 bomber, f-22 raptor jets, F-35 JSF, Hypersonic Missiles, model airplanes for display, model bombs and missiles, Showcase Models, Stealth Jets, USAF news, X-51 WaveRider, X51 Scramjet |

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