On March 9, the American aerospace company Stratolaunch announced the successful completion of the first test flight of their new drone.
The CEO of the company, Zakari Krevor, revealed that the aircraft, Talon-A-1, equipped with a missile engine, achieved high supersonic speeds approaching five Machs (five times faster than the speed of sound) and collected valuable data for customers. However, specific information about the height and flight speed was not disclosed due to confidentiality agreements with customers.
The Talon was launched using a massive six-engine ROC launch vehicle with two fuselages and a wingspan of 117 meters. The ROC released the Talon over the central coast of California, where the device operated for about 3.5 minutes before landing on the water in the ocean.
The primary objectives of the test flight included testing the safe separation of the drone in the air, engine ignition, acceleration, maintaining lift at altitude, and controlled landing. While previous flights with the Talon involved climbing into the air, this test marked the first successful separation from the launch vehicle.
Although this particular version of the Talon was disposable, future iterations are expected to be reusable and capable of landing on a runway. Stratolaunch hailed the test flight as a milestone in the development of the first private and reusable hypersonic testing platform in the United States.
The successful test flight of the Talon-A-1 hypersonic drone represents significant progress in hypersonic technology development in the USA. It highlights the growing capabilities of private companies in advancing aerospace technologies that were traditionally the domain of state-owned entities.
The development of reusable hypersonic systems holds promise for scientific research and practical applications, offering potential solutions to various challenges not only in the United States but around the world.