New hypersonic aircraft

AOC Number

7

Primary domain

T

Secondary domain

Description

This class of vehicles may be used as hypersonic transports and satellite launch platforms.

Potential hazards

1. Like the supersonic aircraft, the hypersonic aircraft may expose passengers and crew to significant radiation levels
2. On an aircraft traveling at hypersonic speeds, the areas where different aircraft structures meet, such as between the wing and fuselage and the tail and fuselage, are areas of chaotic combinations of multiple shock waves and interference, especially when an aircraft is traveling at high angles of attack. These areas also experience uneven pressure and heating, resulting in unknown loads and thermal stresses

Corroborating sources and comments

• http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/Hypersonics/TH23.htm
• DARPA Falcon Project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Falcon_Project

Last update

Unknown