Experimental Scramjet reaches Mach 5 with help of Lockheed Martin hypersonic ATACMS motor

    Aug. 12, 2010
    DALLAS, 12 Aug. 2010. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced that its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rocket motor boosted the experimental X-51A WaveRider scramjet beyond Mach 4.5, the speed at which a scramjet will start and begin to provide thrust. The boost helped the X-51 hypersonic scramjet engine to accelerate to Mach 5, a first for the vehicle.
    Pennwell web 120 100
    Pennwell web 120 100
    Posted by John McHaleDALLAS, 12 Aug. 2010. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced that its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rocket motor boosted the experimental X-51A WaveRider scramjet beyond Mach 4.5, the speed at which a scramjet will start and begin to provide thrust. The boost helped the X-51 hypersonic scramjet engine to accelerate to Mach 5, a first for the vehicle.The X-51 WaveRider is an unmanned aerial vehicle designed for extended hypersonic flight durations. The successful boost with the ATACMS rocket motor will allow for future advancements in hypersonic flight.In this test, the modified ATACMS motor was air-launched from a B-52 aircraft at 50,000 feet, and data collected validates its performance well beyond the original design specifications, Lockheed Martin officials say. This was the first time an ATACMS rocket motor has been used as a booster for an air-launched vehicle. More tests using the ATACMS motor are planned.The modified motor included a Boeing designed lightweight, high performance exit cone which was produced by Aerojet, a GenCorp [NYSE:GY] company in Sacramento, Calif., for Lockheed Martin. The program is managed by a Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne team for the U.S. Air Force and DARPA."The ATACMS rocket motor has proved its power in combat, and now we're happy to see it performing a mission that advances hypervelocity flight technology," says Scott Arnold, vice president of Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

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