Imagine a drone that moves at hypersonic speeds, with precision attack capabilities, or even the ability to deliver a nuclear payload and reach altitudes near space. Unmanned aircraft, navigated from afar, has been President Obama's weapon of choice in the war against terrorism (that is not defined as a war against terrorism, by him). Now, baby's got a whole new toy.
News of the American hypersonic, long-range, unmanned, rapid attack weapon emerged a couple months after China's surprise test of their own hypersonic glide vehicle. The Chinese ultrahigh speed maneuvering vehicle was designed to be a direct challenge for current U.S. missile defenses, which are designed to counter non-maneuvering ballistic missile threats.
The Pentagon's best response to the Chinese vehicle is a hypersonic vehicle called the X-51, a cruise missile-sized weapon powered by an advanced engine called a scramjet. The X-51, developed by Boeing, flies at up to 3,882 mph, or Mach 5.1, and is launched from under the wing of a B-52 bomber.
The official word is that hypersonic weapons such as the X-51 will prove to be less expensive than current jets and cruise missiles powered by complex turbine engines with many more parts than the emerging unmanned technology.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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