US flies reusable hypersonic test vehicle for second time
- Ursa Major and Stratolaunch carried out two successful reusable hypersonic test flights of the Talon-A2 vehicle over the Pacific Ocean, occurring during the final months of 2024 and early 2025.
- These tests followed increased Pentagon focus on hypersonic weaponry due to advances by China and Russia, leading to the MACH-TB program promoting rapid, affordable hypersonic experiments.
- The Talon-A2 drone, launched from Stratolaunch's Roc carrier aircraft, exceeded Mach 5 speeds and was powered by Ursa Major's Hadley engine, a 5,000-lbf oxygen-rich staged combustion liquid rocket.
- Stratolaunch CEO Zachary Krevor acknowledged the data from the flights will improve vehicle performance, while TRMC director George Rumford highlighted a milestone in reusability and faster vehicle turnaround.
- These flights mark the first reusable hypersonic tests in over 50 years, signify progress for U.S. Hypersonic capabilities, and support defense efforts to counter emerging threats with cost-effective systems.
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60 Articles
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Pentagon Reveals Its Secretive New Talon-A Hypersonic Test Vehicle Has Completed a Second Experimental Flight
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Reduced funding slows MDA’s hypersonic interceptor development
The Missile Defense Agency is facing a roughly three-year delay in its plan to deliver an interceptor capable of defeating a hypersonic weapon in the glide phase of flight, according to its director.In an attempt to mitigate the delay, the agency truncated a competitive development effort years’ early, choosing one team to go it alone to design and build the Glide Phase Interceptor. But the program’s reduced funding levels have still slowed down…
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