The Air Force Wants to Go Hypersonic in the Next Decade

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Using technologies first tested with the X-51, the Air Force wants to build a hypersonic jet by 2023.

The service already has outlined a few parameters for the new jet: It must be able to go Mach 5, or 3,806 miles per hour. It should use a scramjet engine, which largely relies on swift airflow for oxidation to propel the plane forward. And it needs to be able to operate at the scalding-hot temperatures created by the friction at speeds far exceeding the speed of sound.

Thanks to X-51 tests, the military knows that scramjet technology is feasible (though some hypersonic tests over the past few years didn't go quite so well). Mach 5 is also just the beginning. The eventual goal is to reach speeds up to Mach 10, which is ... very, very fast. It's about 7,612 mph, or almost fast enough to travel the entire diameter of the world in the space of an hour.

Because of the speeds reached, these vehicles are likely to be unmanned, and some of the technology may be incorporated into new weapons developed by the military.

Source: Military.com via The Verge