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| Image 1) Statolaunch Roc |
Stratolaunch Roc is the largest airplane in the world if we measure it with a wingspan that is 117 meters. The Stratolaunch Roc is meant for launching rockets, small shuttles, and hypersonic test units from airborne. On Oct. 28. 2022 the Straotlaunch Roc carried the hypersonic Talon prototype, which length is 8,3 meters. The hypersonic rocket-boosted mockup is a very interesting thing. It can travel at speeds from Mach 5 to Mach 7.
That body would be the pathfinder for other larger hypersonic crafts. The hypersonic rocket is more conventional than some scramjet-driven variants. But technology like controlling aerodynamic flight at hypersonic speed requires new solutions. And hypersonic technology is very interesting.
The Russian "Kinzhal" missiles are regular rockets that are traveling in the atmosphere, but they are causing fear in the minds of NATO commanders. The hypersonic, reusable aircraft would be interesting in many ways.
Larger size vehicles that can carry cargo and passengers are the systems that make a revolution in aviation. But small-size hypersonic systems can also use in reconnaissance, strategic intelligence, and kamikaze roles. The hypersonic system can follow a ballistic trajectory and that makes it fly outside the atmosphere.
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| Image 2) Talon A |
The Talon-A test vehicle can travel from Mach 5 to Mach 7. The system uses a liquid-fuel rocket engine. That body can have multiple roles in civil and military operations. (Inceptivemind.com/Stratolaunch Talon-A, a versatile, reusable hypersonic testbed)
The system can be like a very advanced kamikaze drone. The system can search targets like all other drones. That kind of drone can use for similar overflight missions as U-2 and SR-71. There are rumors about the "Aurora" recon plane that can travel with speeds about Mach 5-6. But those stories are not confirmed.
The system can make kamikaze attacks against enemy targets. The hypersonic system can return to the base if it will not find the target. There is a possibility that hypersonic recon planes have already existed. But making a hypersonic fighter is much more complicated than making a hypersonic recon plane.
The weapon release systems of hypersonic attack aircraft are more complicated than putting camera systems on those aircraft. The thing that makes weapon release complicated is that there should not come discontinuity in the aircraft's body. If something breaks that form the airflow rips the system in pieces. In hypersonic airplanes, the developers can install camera systems in the aircraft's body under aerodynamic windows. Those windows are made by using the same material as spacecraft windows.
The hypersonic attack aircraft may travel to the target area by using a hypersonic cruise. Then the system slows down and releases its weapon. But there the laser weapons are the game changers. The hypersonic system can also jump out from the atmosphere and open its weapon hatch. During that maneuver, the air pressure will not press the weapon back inside the body of the aircraft. The problem is the discontinuity that can cause the airflow will touch the hypersonic body.
https://www.inceptivemind.com/stratolaunch-talon-a-versatile-reusable-hypersonic-testbed/12594/
https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-begins-building-hypersonic-plane-prototype
https://www.stratolaunch.com/vehicles/roc/
https://www.stratolaunch.com/vehicles/talon-a/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites_Stratolaunch
Image 1:) Image: https://www.astroblogs.nl/2019/04/14/stratolaunch-roc-heeft-zn-eerste-geslaagde-vlucht-gemaakt/
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