Lockheed Martin is developing a hypersonic spy plane, called the SR-72, that will be able to fly at Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound. Credit: Lockheed Martin Corp.
A new hypersonic spy plane, capable of flying up to six times faster than the speed of sound, is being developed by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp., according to company officials.
The new aircraft, known as the SR-72, is the unmanned successor to Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird, a twin-engine, two-seater, supersonic aircraft that was developed in the 1960s. The company’s new spy plane will be able to fly twice as fast as the Blackbird and three times faster than current fighter jets, accelerating to Mach 6, which is six times the speed of sound, or more than 3,500 mph (5,600 km/h).
The hypersonic SR-72 also will be able to fly to any location within an hour, which could be revolutionary for the military, said Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin’s program manager for hypersonics. [In Photos: The 10 Fastest Military Airplanes]
“Hypersonic is the new stealth,” Leland told Reuters. “Your adversaries cannot hide or move their critical assets. They will be found. That becomes a game-changer.”
Furthermore, Lockheed is designing the spy plane using existing technology, which could help the company develop a prototype in five or six years for under $1 billion, he added.
Lockheed is aiming to fly a missile to demonstrate the new technology as early as 2018, and Leland said operational SR-72s could be in service by 2030, according to Aviation Week, which was first to report on the new project.
“What we are doing is defining a missile that would have a small incremental cost to go at hypersonic speed,” Leland told Reuters.
The SR-72 is being developed by Skunk Works, Lockheed’s California-based advanced research program that previously worked on the SR-71 Blackbird and the famed U-2 spy plane.
The hypersonic SR-72 will feature a two-phase propulsion system, which uses a basic jet turbine to accelerate the plane to Mach 3. Lockheed is collaborating with rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne to incorporate this turbine with an air-breathing, supersonic ramjet engine to propel the vehicle from standstill to Mach 6.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Hypersonic Spy Plane
- Is the era of carrier groups over? China's DF-21D and DF-26B missiles may have ensured just that
Amid the backdrop of Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the US has sent ships to waters near Taiwan. While China has the largest navy in the world, it cannot match the US' capabilities. Which is why it h ...
- Pentagon Prepares For First Hypersonic Shoot-Down Test
Pentagon Prepares For First H Shoot-Down Test is part of our Aviation Week & Space Technology - Inside MRO and AWIN subscriptions. Subscribe now to read this content, plu ...
- The Age Of Hypersonic Weapons Has Begun
With a highly publicized test firing and pledge by President Vladimir Putin that it will soon be deployed to frontline units, Russia’s Avangard hypersonic weapon has officially gone from a ...
- Lack Of Hypersonic Test Infrastructure Won’t Affect Dark Eagle: Army
The U.S. Army is comfortable with access to test ranges for its current hypersonic weapon program, but says the lack of infrastructure for the entire military will affect future programs beyond the ...
- The future of flight: from London to New York in just 29 minutes
(Hypersonic flight is considered to start at ... Unlike its predecessor, which was a spy plane, the SR-72 is also being developed with attack as well as surveillance in mind.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Hypersonic Spy Plane
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Hypersonic Plane
- Future BrahMos-II missile may include components from Tsirkon hypersonic missile
According to information published by Tass on August 2, 2022, the hypersonic version of the BrahMos cruise missile, the BrahMos-II, will probably have the same performance characteristics as Russia’s ...
- Pentagon Prepares For First Hypersonic Shoot-Down Test
Pentagon Prepares For First H Shoot-Down Test is part of our Aviation Week & Space Technology - Inside MRO and AWIN subscriptions. Subscribe now to read this content, plu ...
- This Guard exercise trains for hypersonic missile attacks on major US cities
In a simulated training exercise, hypersonic missiles strike New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia near simultaneously, spreading unknown contaminants across these major metropolitan areas. A group ...
- Hypersonic weapons meet speed-of-light defenses
One is the hypersonic missile, which travels at more than five times the speed of sound and can strike targets at great distances. The other is the UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle – particularly ...
- China shows off terrifying ‘aircraft carrier killer’ hypersonic missiles during military drill as Taiwan war fears mount
CHINA has shown off its terrifying “aircraft carrier killer” hypersonic missiles as it conducted military drills near Taiwan. They flaunted their stockpile of deadly weapons amid ...