X-51A First Flight in Fourth Quarter 2009

Boeing’s X-51A WaveRider Scramjet engine will have its first airborne test around November / December 2009, revealed Joseph Vogel, X-51A Program Manager, Advanced Network and Space Systems.

The vehicle will reach a speed of Mach 6 and the engine will burn for around 300 seconds. It will be launched from a B-52 bomber flying out of Edwards Air Force base.

Once the B-52 reaches 50,000 feet it will release the X-51A which will then engage an ATACMS booster engine that will take it up to 65,000 feet and accelerate the vehicle up to Mach 4.8 after around a 30 second burn.

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