Manned Hypersonic Aircraft: A Speculative Analysis

[andy06shake]

A great thread, with some great information, thanks for posting.

You remind of a member who used to post on ATS? She also speculated about a replacement of the SR71 in the aircraft forum.

The SR71 was a great success story and did an amazing job, so I can't imagine it wouldn't have been replaced, maybe several times over the years.

The fact that the Blackbird entered service back in 1966 is astonishing all on it own.

Looking at what they managed to achieve, with the technology and material science they had available at the time.

[n01b4flash]

Hello Team,

I'm not a regular visitor here but thought I could chime in and say one or two things on the subject. 

Although the fastmoving platforms were always a touchy subject, for some reason it was not developed afterwards in the sense of any operational systems. There were attempts to built high supersonic and hypersonic aircraft but they were just for research purposes, like X-51 etc  I have never heard of any operational systems that came after Blackbird, although as a huge fan, I would love to see its follow-on or replacement to be developed. There were many rumours floating over the years about 'Aurora' or 'SR-72' but they never reached anywhere else than speculation and of course 'Aurora' particularly was the name allocated with B-2 Bomber developement, which is subsonic all the way. 

Now, it would make much more sense to built high speed system for operational use so I believe Lockheed may work on it on their drawing boards already.

[Kurokage]

An SR-71 replacement has been the white whale of the aviation community around the world for years. There’s been speculation ranging from Aurora (thanks Bill Sweetman) to the “SR-92” “SR-98” and more.

I've read many of your informative and wonderful posts over the years on the 'other' forum. 

We all waited for the aircraft forum's Captain Ahab to appear, but he never did, but there's always been little titbits of information of something being out there. 

Edited to add....

It has been fun to read about the speculations of 'reported' sightings though.

[Zaphod58]

I've read many of your informative and wonderful posts over the years on the 'other' forum. 

We all waited for the aircraft forum's Captain Ahab to appear, but he never did, but there's always been little titbits of information of something being out there. 

Edited to add....

It has been fun to read about the speculations of 'reported' sightings though.

We’ve seen more than a few interesting things over the years, but with one exception, nothing we could post and say “this is what we saw”. The one exception we’ve hinted at but haven’t really come out and said.

[Signal Witch]

Most definitely.

And by the sounds of it you're alluding to the fabled Aurora.

LOL, at this point, "Aurora" has become the "Freebird" of black project conversations. Yeah, we’ve all heard it, we all respect it, but maybe let’s talk about the new stuff.
 
Today’s hypersonic efforts have known engine test beds, public funding lines (even if vague), and flight demonstrators rumored to be more than just knotted vapor trails and wishful thinking. :)

[Zaphod58]

LOL, at this point, "Aurora" has become the "Freebird" of black project conversations. Yeah, we’ve all heard it, we all respect it, but maybe let’s talk about the new stuff.
 
Today’s hypersonic efforts have known engine test beds, public funding lines (even if vague), and flight demonstrators rumored to be more than just knotted vapor trails and wishful thinking. :)

I saw PDE equipped 737s when I was OTR. It must have been Aurora using visual camouflage.

[andy06shake]

LOL, at this point, "Aurora" has become the "Freebird" of black project conversations. Yeah, we’ve all heard it, we all respect it, but maybe let’s talk about the new stuff.
 
Today’s hypersonic efforts have known engine test beds, public funding lines (even if vague), and flight demonstrators rumored to be more than just knotted vapor trails and wishful thinking. :)

Fair enough.

What about the Quarterhorse prototype/tech demonstrator?  

There has to be some potential there in the future with the claims of seamless transition from subsonic to hypersonic speeds.

[Zaphod58]

Fair enough.

What about the Quarterhorse prototype/tech demonstrator?  

There has to be some potential there in the future with the claims of seamless transition from subsonic to hypersonic speeds.

That transition is what has been hurting hypersonic flight for so long. Multiple X plane failures were because the engine failed to transition.

[Signal Witch]

Fair enough.

What about the Quarterhorse prototype/tech demonstrator?  

There has to be some potential there in the future with the claims of seamless transition from subsonic to hypersonic speeds.

 Quarterhorse is definitely one to watch. Hermeus is aiming to prove out turbine-based combined cycle propulsion, specifically transitioning from a GE J85 turbojet into ramjet-like performance using their custom precooler and flowpath. The tech is ambitious, and if it works as advertised, it could be a game changer for high-speed flight.
 
That said, it's still early. Quarterhorse is a tech demonstrator focused on validating engine integration and managing heat at high speeds. It's not a full hypersonic vehicle yet, but it's a meaningful step toward something that could eventually evolve into a Mach 5-plus reusable platform. There’s real potential here, but plenty still needs to be proven in flight.

[Zaphod58]

 Quarterhorse is definitely one to watch. Hermeus is aiming to prove out turbine-based combined cycle propulsion, specifically transitioning from a GE J85 turbojet into ramjet-like performance using their custom precooler and flowpath. The tech is ambitious, and if it works as advertised, it could be a game changer for high-speed flight.
 
That said, it's still early. Quarterhorse is a tech demonstrator focused on validating engine integration and managing heat at high speeds. It's not a full hypersonic vehicle yet, but it's a meaningful step toward something that could eventually evolve into a Mach 5-plus reusable platform. There’s real potential here, but plenty still needs to be proven in flight.

The transition works well on the ground, so there’s hope this time. But previous ground tests worked well too. Now if they can get past the eight minute barrier that proved problematical for previous tests.