Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-3X)

      The research of making the fastest aeroplane on earth still going on. Like the slogan of airplane world, "faster,stronger, and more effciency". This program have Blackswift Program codenamed. The Blackswift program is a joint venture by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. Air Force. The program's objectives are to develop a hypersonic technology that will enable global reach missions. 

  courtesy image of www.globalsecurity.org

     

    Beside of that ultra speed ability, the Blackswift Test Bed would have used an air-breathing propulsion system consisting of a turbine based combined cycle (TBCC) engine. Propulsion from take-off through supersonic flight regimes and landing would have been provided by turbojet engines. Propulsion for high supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes would have been provided by a scramjet engine (a capability referred to as a dual mode ramjet engine). The main purpose for this project is to make  a reusable Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV) that could deliver 12,000 pounds of payload/ weapon at a distance of 9,000 nautical miles from the United States in less than two hours.

        

     The research of Blackswift program is fast, indicate that the DARPA is very seriously to make this supersonic HTV. The Blackswift Test Bed will address the implications of hypersonic flight and reusability using a series of hypersonic technology vehicles (HTVs) to incrementally demonstrate these required technologies in flight. Revolutionary Approach To Time Critical Long Range Strike (RATTLRS) is a Navy, Air Force, NASA, and OSD interagency cooperative program, to develop a high speed non-after burning turbine, Mach 3 flight demonstration program for a future expendable high speed strike weapon, while also enabling potentially new options for access to space. Imagine that we dont need the boosters rocket that spend much fuel to get to space, it must be great!

courtesy image of www.styleofspeed.com

    The Air Force Research Laboratory and DARPA transitioned the RATTLRS core engine to further development for the joint High-Speed Turbine Engine program, with plans to make the engine that reach Mach 4 speed. The DARPA/USAF Falcon HTV-3X Blackswift Program is developing a turbine based combined cycle (turbojet/dual-mode scramjet) propulsion testbed. The Falcon program plans to use RATTLRS core engine for its turbine accelerator, as well as RATTLRS airframe fuselage and control surface advanced manufacturing techniques.

   How about the using of materials? Well, the Blackswift program had planned to develop a third Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-3) that would focus on reusable advanced technology materials. Flying this hypersonic test bed in a relevant flight environment would have permitted the future development of enhanced-capability reusable high-speed vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike or other critical national missions.

  The Blackswift program will develop and demonstrate the advanced technology that will be required by a HTV: high lift-to-drag aerodynamics; high-speed, turbine-based combined cycle propulsion; high-temperature materials; thermal protection systems; and advanced guidance, navigation, and control. That's the advanced technology systems that will be used on Blackswift program.


Will it be the fastest and strongest military aeroplane?