The X51A Waverider, a U.S. Air Force experimental “scramjet” aircraft, achieved a top speed of nearly five times the speed of sound in its record-breaking first test flight Thursday.The X51A Waverider which can be compared as the size of a cruise missile.Boeing X-51A was dropped from the mothership and the booster quickly accelerated the Waverider to Mach 4.5. The X-51A ignited and the scramjet powered the aircraft for about 200 seconds as it reached a 70,000-foot altitude and an approximate speed of Mach 5.
The Boeing X-51A made aviation history with the longest-ever scramjet-powered hypersonic flight. Air Force officials said the X-51A scramjet propulsion record can be compared to the leap from propellers to jet engines after World War II. Aviation engineers say scramjet propulsion will eventually replace current technologies. The reporst states that the waverider actually surfs on the sonic shockwaves. Compared to a nomal jet engine which force air into its combustion. The X-51A with a scramjet engine short for (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) has a powerful combustion chamber.
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