Military probes failed hypersonic flight of Boeing-designed Waverider
associated press August 16, 2012 11:34AM
FILE - In this July 17, 2009 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, an X-51A WaveRider hypersonic flight test vehicle is uploaded to an Air Force Flight Test Center B-52 for fit testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The X-51A Waverider successfully launched from an Air Force B-52 bomber over Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif., Aug. 14, 2012, however a short time later, a fault was identified with one of the cruiser control fins and the cruiser was not able to maintain control and was lost. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Chad Bellay, File)
Updated: August 16, 2012 12:38PM
LOS ANGELES — The military has launched an investigation into why its latest unmanned hypersonic flight failed seconds into a test.
The experimental X-51A Waverider was designed to reach six times the speed of sound after being released by a B-52 bomber off the Southern California coast Tuesday. The Air Force said the experimental aircraft successfully separated from the B-52 and ignited its rocket booster as planned.
But before it could activate its exotic scramjet engine, which should have taken it to Mach 6, a problem with one of its cruiser control fins caused it to lose balance and crash into the Pacific.
Officials “will now begin the process of working through a rigorous evaluation to determine the exact cause of all factors at play,” Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said in a statement released Wednesday.
Tuesday’s test flight was the latest loss for the Pentagon, which has been testing ever-faster aircraft in hopes of being able to deliver military strikes around the world within minutes.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. built four Waverider vehicles, designed for one-time use ending with a plummet into the ocean after a flight. The Air Force said no decision has been made yet whether to fly the remaining aircraft.
The first X-51A reached near five times the speed of sound for three minutes in 2010. During a test last year, a second X-51A unsuccessfully tried to restart its engine and crashed.
