CURRENT EVENTS IN HYPERSONICS

American Airlines agrees to buy 20 supersonic planes from Boom

American Airlines has agreed to purchase 20 supersonic Overture planes from Boom Supersonic, the companies announced Tuesday.

The deal is the second firm order in the last two years for Boom, still years from building its first commercial airplane. United Airlines made a commitment last year to buy 15 Overture jets. Read Here

Boom Supersonic unveils new design for Overture supersonic jet

Various companies have set about bringing supersonic travel back to life. Colorado-based start up Boom Supersonic is taking some major leaps forward in its quest to make supersonic flying a reality. Read Here

Boom Supersonic and Northrop Grumman team up to build superfast US military aircraft

Boom Supersonic, which wants to fly passengers faster than the speed of sound, announced a collaboration with Northrop Grumman focused on government sales. Read Here

Raytheon’s hypersonic missile travels faster than five times the speed of sound in a test flight

A hypersonic cruise missile co-created by Raytheon Technologies has passed its second flight test in a row. This is an important step in the U.S. Department of Defense’s plan to use weapons that can travel faster than five times the speed of sound. Read Here

UK studies reusable hypersonic military jet technology

The UK project, announced at the Farnborough Air Show, would look to develop a super-fast, uncrewed air vehicle that could deliver payloads at great distance and then return to be used again. Read Here

The Real Story of Darkstar, the Mach-10 Hypersonic Jet in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

In Top Gun: Maverick, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell takes his need for speed to a new realm: the hypersonic realm, that is. Thirty-six years after the first film debuted, Mitchell is a test pilot flying the SR-72 “Darkstar” airplane. Although fictional, the SR-72 has a real-world pedigree, with design help for the aircraft and models coming from the same group that is designing the real SR-72: the world-famous Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs. Read Here

Air Force Revives Sled Testing for Hypersonics Work

A hypersonic sled travels 6,400-feet per second on a monorail and is recovered as part of the Hypersonic Sled Recovery effort at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex High Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. This test marked the fastest recovery of a monorail sled in over 30 years. Read Here

Texas Company Introduces Aircraft It Says Can Fly From LA to Tokyo in 1 Hour

A Texas aerospace company has announced a plane they claim will fly passengers around the world and back home in time for dinner.

The Venus Aerospace startup, located in Houston, says the Mach 9 hypersonic aircraft will be capable of “one-hour global travel.” Read Here

Hypersonic flight is closer than you think!

Space Engine Systems Inc. (SES) is currently building the HELLO-1 Experimental, a Mach 5 Hypersonic vehicle using Air Breathing Turbo-Ram jet engines. The vehicle is undergoing full scale ground testing in preparation for flight testing this year. Read Here