America builds plane 6 times faster than the speed of sound

Lockheed Martin, a famous American defense technology corporation, announced many important technological breakthroughs to help develop supersonic aircraft with speeds of more than 7,400 km/h.

The supersonic aircraft built by Lockheed has a speed of up to 7,400 km/h. Illustration: Fortune.

In August last year, French aircraft manufacturer Airbus filed a patent for a passenger plane that would travel at 5,500 km/h, or 4.5 times the speed of sound. Powered by hydrogen, the prototype uses a rocket to soar into the upper atmosphere before maintaining a cruising speed of 4,800 km/h.

Lockheed Martin is planning to develop a faster aircraft for military use, Sputnik News reported. Speaking to reporters on March 15, Marillyn Hewson, the company's chief executive, said Lockheed had made a major breakthrough.

“We are developing a low-drag, easy-to-control aerodynamic configuration that can operate stably from takeoff to subsonic, sonic, supersonic, hypersonic and up to 4,600 mph. We will demonstrate that hypersonic aircraft can be produced at an affordable price. We estimate that the cost of developing, building and flying an F-22-class demonstrator aircraft will be less than a billion dollars,” Hewson said.

The key to building a supersonic aircraft is designing a scramjet engine that draws oxygen from the outside air to provide thrust. Lockheed claims to have found a solution, though it has not given any technical details. Other breakthroughs include a new thermal protection system that prevents friction at high speeds, advanced aerodynamics, improved navigation control, and long-range communications.

While the technology is aimed at military applications, it could potentially be developed for civilian use. “It could also enable supersonic passenger flights and easier access to space,” Hewson said.

Lockheed's aircraft is expected to be developed in the 2020s and ready for service in the 2030s. "We have made significant progress in all the technologies involved in hypersonics. There are still some technological challenges such as thrust and materials that need to withstand high temperatures. We are in the process of perfecting these technologies and are confident that we can successfully fly a hypersonic vehicle," said Rob Weiss, vice president of Lockheed's Skunkworks project.

According to VnE