This whole drone MEME was obvious before the Ukraine War and now here we are. No one started cutting metal on a cold lath. They only vshowed us what they could not hide. Yet special forces have a flying grenade with eyeballs.
On February 24′th 1949 - thats 75 years ago - the worlds first hypersonic vehicle, called WAC Corporal, was launched at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. WAC Corporal reached 5000 mph. and the test was succesful.
WAC Corporal: Photo: Boeing
At the end of the 1950′es the the X-15 program helped the US to master controlled hypersonic flight. 12 pilots completed 199 missions in the X-15 from 1959 to 1968 reaching speeds up to 4.520 mph. This almost 60 years old record still stands as the fastest manned aircraft ever. 8 of the X-15 pilots actually flew so high that they earned astronaut wings for their effort.
Photo: NASA
In the 1990′es NASA developed the X-43 test program to prove that controlled hypersonic controlled flight could be achieved with an air breathing engine. The X-43 reached 6.755 mph. and program terminated 2004.
The X-43 located at the tip of it’s booster rocket suspended below a B-52 lift vehicle. Foto: NASA
After the X-43 the facts start to be a bit fuzzy. It is officially recognized that the X-51 Waverider program was active from around 2005 and maybe ended in 2013 although theres is no documentation providing information about the shut down. It’s also officially acknowledged that the X-51 has the record for the longest sustained powered hypersonic flight lasting 140 seconds.
X-51 photographed in 2009 at Edwards Airforce Base. Photo: U.S. Airforce
In 2017 Lockheed Martin introduced the MAKO-program with the intention of developing a hypersonic missile small enough to fit inside the hull of the F-35 fifth gen figther. The missile has just finished development and is being pitched to the Airforce and the Navy.
The MAKO. Photo Lockheed Martin: Promotional material.
It’s easy to see the lethal potential in a hypersonic missile in combination with a stealth platform. This will make it possible to launch the missile much closer to the target giving minimum reaction time for countermeasures.
Over the last hundred years the U.S. has again and again surprised the world with it’s defence technology. The a-bomb, GPS guidance technology, stealth and an unrivaled ability to conduct military operations at a very large scale.
Only a fool would underestimate how well the US understands the hypersonic regime and it’s ability to develop and deploy hypersonic weapon systems that fit in with all the other platforms of the combined arms doctrine.
One last note. The ability to go hypersonic does not guarantee a kill. Apparently the latest version of the Patriot SAM system has successfully intercepted and destroyed Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles ind Ukraine.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end.
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