Latest news with #Talon-A2
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stratolaunch's Talon-A2 prototype goes hypersonic after dropping from world's largest airplane (photos)
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Stratolaunch's Talon-2A hypersonic vehicle during one of its first two hypersonic test flights, in either December 2024 or March 2025. | Credit: Stratolaunch/Julian Guerra Stratolaunch Systems has gone hypersonic — twice. Stratolaunch took its uncrewed Talon-A2 prototype to hypersonic speeds for the first time this past December, then repeated the feat in March, the company announced on Monday (May 5). "We've now demonstrated hypersonic speed, added the complexity of a full runway landing with prompt payload recovery and proven reusability," Stratolaunch President and CEO Zachary Krevor said in a statement on Monday. "Both flights were great achievements for our country, our company and our partners." Stratolaunch's Roc carrier plane — seen here with the dart-shaped Talon-A2 hypersonic vehicle still attached — has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters). | Credit: Stratolaunch/Brandon Lim Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen established Stratolaunch in 2011, with the goal of air-launching satellites from a giant carrier plane called Roc, which has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters). That vision changed after Allen's 2018 death, however; the company is now using Roc as a platform to test hypersonic technology. Hypersonic vehicles are highly maneuverable craft capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound. Their combination of speed and agility make them much more difficult to track and intercept than traditional ballistic missiles. The United States, China and other countries view hypersonic tech as vital for national security, and are therefore developing and testing such gear at an ever-increasing pace. Stratolaunch, Roc and the winged, rocket-powered Talon-2A are part of this evolving picture, as the two newly announced test flights show. They were both conducted for the U.S. military's Test Resource Management Center Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program, under a partnership with the Virginia-based company Leidos. On both occasions, Roc lifted off from California and dropped Talon-2A over the Pacific Ocean. The hypersonic vehicle then powered its way to a landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, on California's Central Coast. "These flights were a huge success for our program and for the nation," Scott Wilson, MACH-TB program manager, said in the same statement. "The data collected from the experiments flown on the initial Talon-A flight has now been analyzed and the results are extremely positive," he added. "The opportunity for technology testing at a high rate is highly valuable as we push the pace of hypersonic testing. The MACH-TB program is pleased with the multiple flight successes while looking forward to future flight tests with Stratolaunch." Stratolaunch's Talon-2A prototype lands at Vandenberg Space Force Base during a hypersonic test flight in either December 2024 or March 2025. | Credit: Stratolaunch/Brandon Lim Stratolaunch's statement didn't provide a payload list for the two flights, and a Department of Defense press release about them was similarly vague. But we do know at least one piece of tech that Talon toted — Northop Grumman's Advanced Hypersonic Technology Inertial Measurement Unit, which is designed to help hypersonic vehicles navigate. "Survivability of the navigation unit, also known as a hemispherical resonator gyroscope, is a major accomplishment due to the harsh environment hypersonic speed presents and the intense forces experienced as the technology operates within Earth's atmospheric boundary," Northop Grumman representatives said in a different statement. "This technology collected hours of critical ground and flight data, pivotal for future development." Related stories: — Stratolaunch launches 1st rocket-powered flight of hypersonic prototype from world's largest airplane — Stratolaunch flies world's largest airplane on 2nd test flight — Stratolaunch starts building Talon hypersonic plane for Mach 6 flights Stratolaunch isn't the only American company providing the U.S. military and other customers with a testbed for hypersonic tech: California-based Rocket Lab flies a suborbital variant of its workhorse Electron rocket called HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) for this purpose. HASTE has flown three times to date, on each occasion from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. And the cadence could pick up in the near future: Both the U.S. and U.K. militaries recently picked Rocket Lab as a potential partner for their hypersonic-tech programs.
Scottish Sun
06-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
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. 6 Talon-A2 has conducted two successful test flights Credit: Stratolaunch 6 The hypersonic drone was launched from Roc - the world's biggest plane Credit: Stratolaunch 6 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. 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. 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 hypersonic passenger jet which could take travelers from London to New York City in just one hour is set to arrive as "as soon as the 2030s". 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. "Stargazer M4 is Earth's first hypersonic, reusable aircraft," Venus Aerospace boasted. "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. 6 Talon-A2 reached speeds of 3,800mph during it's test flight Credit: stratolaunch 6 Talon-A2 is operated by Stratolaunch as part of a Pentagon programme Credit: Stratolaunch
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
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. 6 Talon-A2 has conducted two successful test flights Credit: Stratolaunch 6 The hypersonic drone was launched from Roc - the world's biggest plane Credit: Stratolaunch 6 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. read more on planes 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. Most read in Tech 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. " "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. 6 Talon-A2 reached speeds of 3,800mph during it's test flight Credit: stratolaunch 6 Talon-A2 is operated by Stratolaunch as part of a Pentagon programme Credit: Stratolaunch 6 The Stratolaunch plane at its hangar in the Mojave desert, California Credit: AFP or licensors
