Some X-51 news from Defense News April 13, 2010:
Boeing Could Expand Hypersonic Follow-on Efforts
By JOHN REED
Published: 13 Apr 2010 18:07
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - If all goes well with this year's four test flights of the hypersonic Boeing X-51A Waverider, the firm could add a rapid global-strike scramjet to its list of potential follow-up projects, said Steve Johnston, Boeing's director of Advanced Space Exploration.
The list already includes the X-51A+, which would test a scramjet's ability to change direction and splash down onto a targeted area at sea; and Rapid Identification and Prosecution of Targets in Denied Environments (RIPTIDE), which "would be more of an operationally representative configuration" that would include sensors and weapons, Johnston said during an April 13 briefing with reporters here. This, however, is several years away since funding for X-51A+ is not set to begin until fiscal year 2011, according to Johnston. Both RIPTIDE and the X-51A programs are funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The upcoming X-51A tests, set to begin in a matter of weeks, are meant to test the engine, heat-resistant fuselage materials and guidance systems during a five-minute burn while flying faster than Mach 6. This is enough time for the aircraft to reach the hottest, sustained heat levels it is expected to experience as it flies through the upper reaches of the atmosphere at more than six times the speed of sound. Once this is done, the company will begin looking at how to tweak the engine and optimize the X-51A+ to carry precision navigation equipment necessary to fly complex flight patterns, Johnston said.
"The RIPTIDE program will be about further optimizing the airframe; taking weight out of it, making it more of an operationally representative configuration, while also starting to couple some payload style subsystems," Johnston said. "It's still a flight test program ... geared towards a weapons application." He did not elaborate on the specific payloads being carried on the airframe.
Boeing has also begun looking at how to build a hypersonic plane that has deployable wings and landing gear, a serious improvement over today's single-shot scramjets, Johnston said. Johnston could not provide a schedule for RIPTIDE development. He said the X-51A is a high-risk program, and he would be surprised if the company discovered no problems in the upcoming flight tests. The Pentagon is looking at what mix of missiles and aircraft it will use to spy on and strike enemies in heavily defended airspace.
Several areas being studied include a new cruise missile for the U.S. Air Force and Navy, and the Prompt Global Strike effort to allow U.S. commanders to hit a target anywhere on earth with a conventional munition within an hour.
