H13 engines hypersonic vehicle
H13 engine and Talon-A: America’s secret hypersonic vehicle – is it faster than the SR-72?
The world of aerospace is in turmoil. The US has secretly tested a hypersonic weapon that has shocked military experts and opposing nations. The new technology is rumored to be faster than the SR-71 Blackbird’s successor. The SR-72 Dark Star, which was once the fastest aircraft on Earth.
But the question is: Which plane is this? And how did this cutting-edge hypersonic craft reach speeds of Mach 6, and possibly Mach 10?
Let’s dive into the mind-blowing details of this state-of-the-art hypersonic test.
What is hypersonic technology and when did it start?
Hypersonic aircraft and weapons may sound like blockbusters from a sci-fi movie, but they are the result of more than half a century of research and technological breakthroughs.
Cold War Seeds: The origins of hypersonic technology stretch back to the Cold War. When the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a high-stakes race for air and space dominance.
Today’s Race: Today, with rising global tensions and a new arms race, world superpowers are racing to develop these ultra-fast systems. Which can defeat conventional missile defense systems and strike targets with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
Who is the father of hypersonic flight? How did the X-15 achieve Mach 6.7?
The journey to hypersonic flight began in 1959 with the North American X-15 rocket plane.
Record breaking speed: This unprecedented experimental aircraft still holds the record for the fastest speed recorded by a crewed aircraft with a speed of Mach 6.7.
Limitations of rocket engines: The X-15 proved that controlled hypersonic flight was possible, but it depended on rocket engines, which burned fuel at an intolerable rate. This limitation made long-distance hypersonic travel nearly impossible at the time.
Why are rocket engines inefficient? And how does Scramjet beat them?
This was a major challenge for early rocket-powered aircraft, where about 90% of the total weight was fuel alone. They had to carry both fuel and an oxidizer to burn it.
Rocket vs. Jet: Unlike rockets, which have to carry heavy tanks of liquid oxygen. Modern hypersonic air-breathing engines (such as ramjets and scramjets) draw atmospheric oxygen while in flight, making them far more fuel efficient.
Importance of Specific Impulse: This efficiency is measured using a key factor called Specific Impulse. The specific impulse of a rocket engine is usually about 450 seconds. while air-breathing jet engines such as ramjets and scramjets can exceed 1,000 seconds. This means they can fly very far using very little fuel.
Speed Monsters: What engines work at Mach 5+?
Jet Propulsion Systems are not all the same:
- Turbojets: Great for speeds up to Mach 2, but beyond that become inefficient.
- Ramjets: Can travel around Mach 3 to 4, but require initial thrust to operate at lower speeds.
- Scramjets: The real speed monsters. This state-of-the-art engine can operate at Mach 5+. It could make the flight from New York to Tokyo, in less than two hours instead of 12 hours.
What is possible by combining turbojet and ramjet? What is the Chimera Engine of Hermes?
A major problem with hypersonic flight is that ramjets and scramjets do not perform well at low speeds, making takeoff and landing a major problem.
Combination idea: The team at Hermes thought of combining the turbojet and ramjet into one engine, and thus their game-changing Chimera Engine was born.
Hybrid Power: This turbine-based combined cycle engine switches smoothly between turbojet mode and ramjet mode.
Quarter Horse: This powers their state-of-the-art aircraft, the Quarter Horse, which allows it to take off like a normal plane and then rocket at hypersonic speeds.
Pre-cooler: A special feature of the Chimera engine is the pre-cooler. It’s like a high-tech air conditioner that cools the air before it hits the turbojet, maximizing engine performance. Especially when it switches to scramjet mode for speeds above Mach 5.
Can a small startup beat giant corporations?
Hermaeus is a relatively small startup, but they have managed to jump into the heart of cutting-edge hypersonic technology.
Time and budget: While large corporations or government agencies would need decades and huge budgets to build such advanced equipment. Hermes accomplished it in just 21 months, and with a budget of just $18 million.
One lesson: It’s a tiny fraction of the budget for the US Air Force’s $300 million Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator. Hermes has shown that a little creativity and efficiency can make big leaps in aerospace.
Hermes’ Hypersonic Secret: Engine Upgrades, Record-Breaking Speeds and Future Materials
What has changed in Chimera 2 engine? Why did Hermes choose the engine of the F-16?
Instead of sticking with the first Chimera engine, Hermes launched an advanced iteration of the Chimera 2 just a year later. This pace of innovation seems even more extraordinary when it takes years for big aerospace companies to do so.
Older engine (Chimera 1): General Electric J-85 turbojet (used in Northrop F5 and T-38 Talon).
New engine (Chimera 2): This time the team chose the Pratt & Whitney F-100 engine.
This is the same powerhouse that powers America’s most famous fighter jets, the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. These engines have proven their reliability with 50 years of continuous service and over 30,000 flight hours.
Purpose: This upgrade is not just about improving an old engine, but about advancing a hypersonic aircraft designed to revolutionize defense capabilities and national security.
What is the speed goal of Quarter Horse? Will it beat the SR-71 Blackbird’s record?
Hermes’ new plane isn’t just about speed, it’s a giant leap in aerospace engineering.
Speeds five times the speed of sound (Mach 5+) are designed to be flown by Hermes.
SR-71 Record: Hermes has set its sights on breaking the record of the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which had a maximum speed of Mach 3.3.
An altitude of 80,000 to 85,000 feet, more than double that of commercial airliners (35,000–40,000 feet), is designed to be flown by this next-generation aircraft.
Challenge: At this altitude, the air is incredibly thin, making conventional flight dynamics much more challenging.
What can melt a plane at the speed of Mach 5? How did engineers beat the heat?
Hypersonic flight (greater than Mach 5) creates enormous amounts of friction and heat.
Destructive Temperatures: Temperatures on the surface of the aircraft can exceed 2,000°F—hot enough to melt aluminum and weaken even high-strength titanium.
Choice of Materials:
Engineers initially used the hardest materials such as titanium, nickel alloys and super alloys. However, at speeds above Mach 6, they switched to carbon ceramic composites.
Strengths of Carbon Ceramic Composites: Not only are these materials lighter, but they can handle extreme heat and stress much better than traditional metals.
They can withstand temperatures up to 3,100°F (for single-use applications).
Advanced aerospace projects, such as hypersonic missiles, already have them used.
How did 3D printing help in making hypersonic aircraft?
It was equally important to improve manufacturing methods.
V3D Sapphire 3D Printer: Hermes decided to invest in the V3D Sapphire and Sapphire XC industrial 3D printers.
Inconel 718: These printers are able to print with Inconel 718, a nickel-chromium alloy known for its excellent heat resistance.
Unique geometries: 3D printing technology allowed the team to create parts that had unique geometries that would have been impossible to create with conventional techniques. This approach helped reduce production costs while increasing performance and durability.
Quarter Horse Design: Is It Blackbird’s Little Brother?
The sleek, streamlined appearance of the Quarter Horse is not only attractive; It is a perfect example of aerodynamic genius.
Design Similarities: Its design is reminiscent of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Like the Blackbird, the Quarter Horse is engineered to cut through the air with minimal resistance. At 40 feet long, the Quarter Horse is slightly smaller than the Northrop T-38 Talon (46 feet), but there are similarities between the two. Both are designed for advanced training and light attack roles.
Future: The Quarter Horse is intended to serve a similar purpose as a training jet like the T-38, but with more advanced technology, making it a promising contender in the world of military aviation.
Hypersonic Flight: Quarter Horse Prototype and Future Passenger Aircraft (Haosen)
Why is the US Air Force excited? Quarter Horse MK-0 success.
Hermes began the Quarter Horse program with testing of the MK-0 prototype, which was an important step in the integration of the aircraft’s main systems.
- Manufacturing at record speed: This prototype was assembled in just six months, which is an amazing feat considering this complex technology.
- Test success: On the ground test stand, the MK-0 not only met but exceeded all of its intended targets, demonstrating its impressive capabilities.
- US Air Force Interest: This success immediately attracted the attention of the United States Air Force (USAF), which took a keen interest in the aircraft’s potential for both training and combat scenarios.
MK-1 Prototype: First Step Towards Autonomous Flight
After the successes of the MK-0, the team introduced the MK-1 prototype with more ambitious goals.
- Challenging targets: The MK-1 had to handle the most challenging aspects of autonomous flight, such as remote takeoff and landing.
- This time, instead of AEDC in Tennessee, Edwards Air Force Base in California, famous for advanced flight tests, was used for conducting the tests.
- High-speed testing: Here, the vehicle was pushed to a taxi speed of 50 mph while the engines were running at full afterburner—an incredible feat for an unmanned test vehicle.
Goal of MK-2: Autonomous supersonic flight at Mach 2
Hermes is now working rapidly on the next two prototypes, the MK-2 and MK-3.
- Engine Upgrade: The MK-2 will feature a major upgrade over the GE J85, the Pratt & Whitney F-100 engine, known for its incredible reliability and power.
- Breaking the sound barrier: The primary goal of the MK-2 is to break the sound barrier and perform autonomous supersonic flight at speeds below Mach 2.
- Self-Sufficient Pilot: It is not just a fast aircraft, but a machine designed to handle navigation and emergency response without human intervention, which acts as a self-sufficient pilot in the sky.
MK-3’s extraordinary ambition: Will SR-71’s record be broken?
The upgraded Chimera 2 is rumored to be the basis for MK-3. Its main function will be to transition from turbojet to ramjet mode at high speed and altitude. This is a complex engineering challenge.
Airspeed record: If the MK-3 succeeds, it will break the all-time airspeed record, currently held by the SR-71 Blackbird for decades. It’s an ambitious goal that engineers have been dreaming of for years.
The Future of Hypersonic: Haosen – New York to London in just 90 minutes!
All of this Hermes effort is part of a larger goal: to develop the Haosen, a revolutionary hypersonic passenger plane that could change the way we think about air travel.
- Speeds in excess of Mach 5 can be flown by the Haosen, as it is designed for this purpose.
- Reduction in travel time: It can dramatically reduce travel time on more than 125 transoceanic routes.
Example: A flight from New York to London, which currently takes around seven hours, can be reduced to just 90 minutes.
First test: Haosen is on track to become the first viable hypersonic passenger plane. With its first test flight scheduled for 2029.
Conclusion: The pace at which the Hermes team is moving is incredible. They are overcoming the complex engineering challenges of hypersonic flight. This technology will not only revolutionize air travel, but also change the way we think about global connectivity.
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