NASA's X-43A experimental vehicle reached nearly Mach 10 over the Pacific on 17 November 2004, clocking roughly 3.2 kilometers per second and setting a new aviation speed record. The small unmanned craft was released from a B-52B bomber before igniting its own engine for the record run.
The flight was the second record in eight months. A previous X-43A had hit Mach 7 during an 11-second engine run in March 2004. Engineers modified the third and final vehicle in the series to withstand the extreme temperatures generated at the higher speed.
Scramjets draw oxygen directly from the atmosphere rather than carrying it onboard, making them far lighter than conventional rockets. The engine compresses incoming air through the vehicle's own forward speed and burns hydrogen fuel in that stream. NASA said the technology could eventually support affordable, reliable launches of large payloads to orbit.
The $230 million program covers 20 years of development. The US Air Force is pursuing a scramjet-capable aircraft able to reach any point on Earth in under two hours while carrying six tonnes of munitions. The Pentagon and Australia's Defense Ministry planned a joint Mach 10 test in Australia in 2005. France and Japan are developing similar engines independently. The X-43A is 3.65 meters long with a 1.5-meter wingspan.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.