The US Air Force is developing an unmanned aircraft, or a flying weapon, which can touch hypersonic speeds of Mach 5, five times the speed of sound. The development can transform the nature of warfare in future.
"The key thing is, hypersonics go really fast," outgoing Air Force chief scientist Mica Endsley told CNN Thursday, after announcing the target date for the new aircraft. The Pentagon has been experimenting the hypersonic aircraft for some years now and has been launching them from bombers in the Pacific Ocean, albeit with limited success.
Any vehicle that is to be considered as hypersonic, needs to travel at least five times the speed of sound (Mach 5). The speed of Mach 5 is around 3,800 mph, fast enough to travel across the US in just 30 minutes. China and Russia have been active in building hypersonic aircrafts for some time. Such vehicles can be launched from long distances and can travel so fast that they cannot be detected by before reaching the target.
However, there are a few hurdles to overcome— development of new guidance systems and materials would be required to build hypersonic weapons. The US has been testing the series of tests (failed)The tests since 2013, which were a part of a $300-million military project that was conceived in 2004.
The fourth and final test flight a hypersonic aircraft, aka X-51A Waverider, was successfully carried out in May 2013, where it managed to reach Mach 5 speeds.
