Boeing X-51 Waverider
The Boeing X-51 Waverider is an unmanned research scramjet experimental aircraft for hypersonic flight at Mach 5 (3,300 mph; 5,300 km/h) and an altitude of 70,000 feet (21,000 m). The aircraft was designated X-51 in 2005. It completed its first powered hypersonic flight on 26 May 2010. After two unsuccessful test flights, the X-51 completed a flight of over six minutes and reached speeds of over Mach 5 for 210 seconds on 1 May 2013 for the longest duration powered hypersonic flight.
| X-51 Waverider | |
|---|---|
| Artist's concept of X-51A during flight | |
| Role | Robotic technology demonstrator, hypersonic test aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | 26 May 2010 |
| Retired | 2013 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 4 |
Waverider refers in general to aircraft that take advantage of compression lift produced by their own shock waves. The X-51 program was a cooperative effort by the United States Air Force, DARPA, NASA, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The program was managed by the Aerospace Systems Directorate within the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).