Boeing Completes Successful Boost Test of HyFly Hypersonic Demonstrator

Published: Oct 17, 2005
Source: www.boeing.com



CHICAGO, Oct. 17, 2005 – The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), successfully demonstrated boost phase performance of a hypersonic strike demonstrator vehicle called HyFly on Aug. 26.

A Boeing F-15E launched the HyFly vehicle during the test over the U.S. Navy’s sea range at the Naval Air Weapons Center – Weapons Division at Pt. Mugu, Calif. The solid rocket booster successfully ignited and accelerated the HyFly to a speed of greater than Mach 3 – three times the speed of sound.

This test was the second of five HyFly flight tests that are scheduled from 2005 to 2007. In the first flight test, conducted on Jan. 26, 2005, an un-powered HyFly vehicle demonstrated safe separation from an F-15E as well as vehicle guidance and control functions. During the next three test flights, the HyFly vehicles will be powered by a booster and a dual combustion ramjet, or DCR, engine at speeds up to Mach 6 –six times the speed of sound.continue..