THE world’s most advanced drone has taken a piggyback on the world’s biggest plane.
The hypersonic ‘Talon-A’ was taken to the edge of space with the aim of launching rockets from high in the earth’s atmosphere.
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The test flight was also the 12th time that Roc, the World’s biggest plane had ever flown.
Roc is a ginormous beast with a wingspan of 385 feet.
It last flew in May, when it performed its first drop test with a Talon prototype.
Hypersonic vehicles are typically defined as highly manoeuvrable craft capable of flying at least five times faster than the speed of sound.
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But Stratolaunch’s hypersonic drone Talon-A is expected to reach speeds of at least six times faster than the speed of sound.
Stratolaunch took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the news.
The aim of the test flight, on December 3, was to try and understand how well its propulsion system works at different temperatures.
Although the engine was never ignited, the team has also said that the completion of the test is a significant step towards their first powered flight of the Talon-A.
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The test launch was held at 22,500 feet, and Stratolaunch hinted the first powered launch could also take place at this altitude.
The first powered test is due to take place off California’s central coast and should see the vehicle’s 5,000-pound-thrust Hadley rocket engine hit hypersonic speed for at least ten minutes.
Dr. Zachary Krevor, Chief Executive Officer for Stratolaunch, said the drone’s propulsion system stems from a liquid propellant rocket engine.
The liquid propellant is what provides the thrust needed for the drone to reach hypersonic speeds.
He said: “While we have conducted several successful ground tests fuelling and igniting the system, we needed to evaluate how the system performs in the flight environment prior to release.
“Initial results from today’s flight show that the system has performed as predicted, and we will determine our next steps pending the full data review of the test.”
This year, it was suggested Talon-A could be used as a target to replicate hypersonic missile threats.
Stratolaunch has already amassed a wealth of interest in its latest air technology.
Last week it announced it signed a contract with Leidos – the U.S Navy’s primary contractor.
This deal has funded five hypersonic flights with Talon-A vehicles.
On the purpose of its carrier Roc, test pilot Steve Rainey said: “What we are going to provide is a vehicle that’s big enough for you to put all types of equipment in to be tested at hypersonic speeds.
“It can fly at sustained hypersonic speeds for longer durations, and then recover, and land the airplane at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
“So, not only do you get your telemetry data, you’ll have onboard data, which is generally higher quality and higher data rate, and guess what, you get your parts and pieces back to check them out.”
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Essentially, Roc will lift up Talon-A and other vehicles up to the optimal altitude before releasing them on their mission.
Both world-first aircrafts were orignallu created by Microsoft’s Paul Allen for Stratolaunch, before his death in 2018.
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