Hypersonic plane ‘Talon-A2' that can circle ENTIRE earth in less than 7 hours at 4,000mph makes successful test flight
A HYPERSONIC plane that can travel around the entire Earth in less than seven hours has made two successful test flights.
Talon-A2 reached an incredible 3,800mph while in flight - more than five times the speed of sound.
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Talon-A2 has conducted two successful test flights
Credit: Stratolaunch
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The hypersonic drone was launched from Roc - the world's biggest plane
Credit: Stratolaunch
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The ground breaking flights were conducted in December 2024 and March 2025, the Pentagon's Defence Department has revealed.
A simulation of a Talon-A2 flight shows the hypersonic drone being blasted into the sky by a carrier jet before zooming off.
Talon-A2 was launched from the world's biggest plane, Roc.
The giant carrier plane holds the record for the largest wingspan - coming in at a whopping 385-feet.
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Once in the sky the hypersonic drone was released over the Pacific Ocean before later landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
During its flight Talon-A2 reached a jaw-dropping speed of 3,800 mph - which is more than five times the speed of sound.
But it's no surprise it can travel so quickly as the vehicle is powered by a hefty 5,000lb-thrust rocket engine.
Talon-A2 is operated by Stratolaunch - a company founded in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen - as part of a Pentagon Defense Department initiative.
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The historic flights mark the first time the US has conducted reusable hypersonic testing since its X-15 programme.
The X-15 programme was a collaboration with NASA, the US Air Force and the Navy.
Hypersonic jet could whisk passengers from London to NYC in an hour
The programme operated for nearly 10 years - setting a record speed of 5,100mph - before it was terminated in 1968.
This comes as the US has ramped up its hypersonic weapons research as tensions with China and Russia reach boiling point.
Meanwhile, a
The Venus Stargazer is being developed by Venus Aerospace who revealed that it was planning a flight demo "later this summer".
The company said that thanks to a Nasa-funded breakthrough, the "record-setting" engine system is nearly ready to try out for real.
Venus hopes that its rocket engine will be able to blast passengers around the Earth in record time.
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"No one has ever built a hypersonic platform that makes two-hour global transport cost-effective. Until now.
"Our flagship product, Stargazer, will ascend from a central airport using advanced propulsion systems.
"Our vehicle will accelerate from taxi to cruise speeds of Mach 4 at 110,000 feet with a top speed capable of Mach 9."
The engine is set to feature a new Nasa-funded nozzle design. That's the part of the rocket that "shapes and directs
power
".
This hi-tech nozzle will reportedly allow for speeds exceeding Mach 5 – or about 3,800mph.
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Talon-A2 reached speeds of 3,800mph during it's test flight
Credit: stratolaunch
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Talon-A2 is operated by Stratolaunch as part of a Pentagon programme
Credit: Stratolaunch
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The Stratolaunch plane at its hangar in the Mojave desert, California
Credit: AFP or licensors
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