Hypersonic speed

Hypersonic speed or short hypersonic referred to in the aerospace industry the speed range far beyond (Latin - Greek hyper) local sound speed, the medium and its state (usually [ air ] pressure, heat, etc.) is dependent. As hypersonic while the area above five times the speed of sound ( about Mach 5 ) is considered, while including a missile only flies at supersonic speed.

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Hypersonic missile to be built before all things so that they can withstand the high heat with temperatures that occur above 1000 ° C. Also, the properties of air change at these temperatures.

Examples of flying objects in the hypersonic range are objects that enter the Earth's atmosphere, such as asteroids, the experimental aircraft North American X -15 or spacecraft during re-entry. Unmanned experimental aircraft reach up to 9.6 times the speed of sound (Boeing X -43A, 2004). The Falcon HTV -2 will reach even up to Mach 20 at the end. The development of hypersonic projectiles was discussed in military circles, such as those associated with railguns.

The European Space Agency is coordinating the project Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies, which is a European hypersonic passenger plane called Reaction Engines A2 design.

In May 2010, the U.S. Air Force completed the first successful test flight of a hypersonic missile. The Boeing X -51A flew here about 200 seconds and reached Mach 5 was previously disengaged from a B -52 bomber. In its fourth test flight on 1 May 2013, it reached, after two suffered miscarriages, a speed of Mach 5.1 and flew around 426 km wide in just over six minutes.

Beginning of 2014 it was announced a test of a Chinese missile ( WU -14).