X-51A News Updates -- May 29, 2010

This US Air Force graphic shows the X-51A Waverider. Powered by a scramjet engine, it is designed to ride on its own shockwave. The US Air Force on May 26 test launched the hypersonic X-51A, with the vehicle accelerating to more than Mach 5 before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Newscom

Air Force X-51A Waverider: Faster Than Superman -- Christian Science Monitor

The US Air Force just flew its new X-51A Waverider at five times the speed of sound. It could be used as a hypersonic cruise missile, delivering a warhead to anywhere on earth in an hour.

Wednesday’s flight of the Air Force X-51A Waverider was certainly impressive. The X-51A – a Dustbuster-shaped air vehicle dropped from a B-52 bomber – used scramjet power to accelerate beyond a screaming-fast Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound).

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The X-51A Waverider at rest.
(Credit: U.S. Air Force)

More News On The X-51A

Scramjet-powered X-51A Waverider missile breaks Mach 5 record -- Christian Science Monitor
The X-51A Waverider’s Record-Setting Hypersonic Flight -- Time Magazine
X-51A races to hypersonic record -- CNET
X-51 hypersonic scramjet test: Flameout at Mach 5? -- The Register
Scramjet-Powered USAF Aircraft Hits Mach 6 -- PC Mag
Boeing: Hypersonic scramjet sets record in first flight -- Seattle PI