The experimental X-51A Waverider is an unmanned, autonomous supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight test demonstrator for the U.S. Air Force. Features The X-51A is designed to be launched from an airborne B-52 Stratofortress bomber.

2024年10月17日 · The X-51A Waverider is a groundbreaking hypersonic aircraft pushing the limits of speed and technology redefining the future of flight.

2013年5月3日 · The Air Force's X-51A Waverider reached a top speed of Mach 5.1 during the test flight, traveling more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes before crashing into the Pacific Ocean off...

Supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) propulsion is a significant advancement in air-breathing propulsion technology. The X-51A WaveRider research vehicle recently set new aviation speed records by employing a scramjet engine in a specialized airframe designed to operate at hypersonic airspeeds.

2012年8月14日 · Fuelled by military fuel JP-7, the scramjet engine of X-51 is designed to run for five minutes (300s), while the unmanned experimental supersonic aircraft X-43 is fuelled by hydrogen and runs for just 100s.

This paper summarizes the X-51A vehicle mission requirements, system design, design processes used for airframe synthesis, design safety factors, success criteria and issues facing the incorporation of advanced optimization techniques in the development of airframes for vehicles such as

2010年5月26日 · EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif (AFNS) -- An X-51A Waverider flight-test vehicle successfully made the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight May 26 off the southern California Pacific coast.

2010年6月3日 · The X-51A successfully made the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight to date off the southern California coast on May 26. It was powered by a SJX61-2 that was first validated in a NASA wind tunnel.

Using no moving parts, the Waverider injects hydrocarbon fuel into the combustion chamber where it mixes with oxygen pulled from the atmosphere to create combustion, not unlike trying to light a match in a hurricane. The X-51A was dubbed Waverider because it was designed to ride its own shockwave.

2013年5月4日 · A Boeing X-51A WaveRider unmanned hypersonic vehicle achieved the longest air-breathing, scramjet-powered hypersonic flight in history May 1, flying for three and a half minutes on scramjet power...