$750m for DARPA's Mach 6 'Blackswift' Demonstrator

Posted on: Jan. 26th, 2008 || Source: Aviation Week | E-mail Article | Print Article

The Pentagon's 2009 budget request will include $750 million for DARPA's hypersonic "Blackswift" demonstrator program. The program's aim is to develop a fighter-sized Mach 6 unmanned demonstrator. "The aircraft will be unmanned and about the size of an F-16", notes Bill Sweetman, in his Aviation Week & Space Technology Ares blog.

The Blackswift is a departure for DARPA's Falcon program for the USAF, which aims at developing a Mach 25 global strike aircraft. It was previously known as the Falcon HTV-3X, but is now seperate program.

A combination turbine engine and ramjet will power the demonstrator aircraft. The turbine engine accelerates the vehicle to around Mach 3 before the ramjet takes over and boosts the vehicle up to Mach 6. Last December, DARPA released a video of the HTV-3X, which you can view here.

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