hypersonic Archives

“A Game Changing Warfighting Capability”: DIU-Funded Hermeus Says Autonomous, High-Mach Payload Release Test Flights to Begin

Christopher Plain·June 5, 2026

Aviation defense company, Hermeus, has announced new test flights to expedite carrying and releasing payloads at high-Mach speeds.

New NATO- and U.S.-Backed Hypersonic Ceramic Survives 2,700 K Plasma Test That Would Melt Steel

Tim McMillan·February 24, 2026

NATO- and U.S.-backed hypersonic ceramic survives 2,700 K plasma test, revealing potential new path to reusable extreme-speed flight.

“That’s Not a Knife”: Pentagon Aims to Unleash ‘HASTE’ Rocket on Mission to Amplify U.S. Hypersonic Tech

Micah Hanks·February 18, 2026

A next-generation rocket will soon take flight as part of an ongoing effort to elevate U.S. development of hypersonic capabilities.

A Hypersonic Breakthrough, Ancient Pyrotechnology, and Ant Queens with ‘Chemical Weapons’

Micah Hanks·November 18, 2025

This week in news from The Debrief, we examine recent hypersonic experiments that have confirmed a 60-year-old turbulence theory, along with evidence of ancient pyrotechnology and more.

New Hypersonic Experiments Confirm a 60-Year-Old Turbulence Theory—and Could Transform Future High-Speed Flight

Tim McMillan·November 18, 2025

New experiments confirm a decades-old theory of turbulence, revealing how air behaves at extreme speeds and shaping the future of hypersonic flight.

Hypersonic Flight and AI Dogfights: U.S. Defense Startups Set to Redefine Air Power

Micah Hanks·May 29, 2025

This week, new developments in autonomous and high-speed aviation are signaling a dramatic shift in the future of military airpower.

Secretive Cape Canaveral Launch Linked to Pentagon’s New “Dark Eagle” Hypersonic Weapon

Micah Hanks·April 27, 2025

A test launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday is believed to have involved the secretive new Dark Eagle Hypersonic missile.

New Hypersonic Flight Simulations Just Revealed Something “Shocking” that Researchers Didn’t Expect

Ryan Whalen·March 29, 2025

Hypersonic vehicles' complex interactions with gases in the air are revealed for the first time in a new 3D simulation.

NASA-Funded Hypersonic Breakthrough Can Eliminate Deadly “Shock Train” at the Speed of Light

Christopher Plain·July 27, 2024

Optical sensors that rapidly detect a 'shock train' inside a scramjet engine could revolutionize hypersonic flight.

Advanced Propulsion Researchers from GE Aerospace Successfully Test Cutting-Edge Dual-Mode Hypersonic Ramjet

Christopher Plain·July 16, 2024

Researchers from GE Aerospace have announced their first-ever successful test of a dual mode hypersonic ramjet engine.

The Southwest Research Institute’s New High-Speed Propulsion Facility Officially Breaks Ground

Christopher Plain·July 11, 2024

The Southwest Research Institute has officially broken ground on their new CAMP high-speed propulsion facility.

U.S. Air Force Confirms Speculations Over Recent AGM-183A Hypersonic Missile Test

Micah Hanks·March 21, 2024

We examine the recent USAF test of an AGM-183A hypersonic missile, and why it marks a pivotal moment for U.S. weapons technology.

NASA Taps Boeing and Northrop Grumman to Develop Ultra-High-Speed Mach 4 Passenger Aircraft

Christopher Plain·August 28, 2023

NASA has tasked Boeing and Northrop Grumman to develop viable designs for a commercial aircraft capable of Mach 4 travel.

The U.S. Air Force and DARPA Successfully Fly Lockheed Martin’s Hypersonic HAWC Scramjet

Christopher Plain·March 24, 2023

As a final phase of its HAWC hypersonic missile program, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Lockheed Martin Darkstar aircraft from Top Gun: Maverick film

Lockheed Martin Won’t Deny The Existence of This Mysterious Hypersonic Spy Plane

Tim McMillan·March 17, 2023

Lockheed Martin continues to hint that the "Darkstar" hypersonic jet in the film Top Gun: Maverick might actually exist.

The U.S. Air Force is Preparing to Unleash Hypersonic Mayhem

Christopher Plain·December 21, 2022

The Air Force Research Laboratory is partnering with Fortune 500 defense contractor Leidos to design and develop the hypersonic Mayhem surveillance drone, the first drone designed to travel over five times faster than the speed of sound.

Venus Aerospace is making a name for themselves by working on a new hypersonic plane design.

Venus Aerospace Reveals Designs for New Mach 9 Hypersonic Plane

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry·July 8, 2022

Houston-based Venus Aerospace has revealed plans to develop what it calls the Stargazer, a new hypersonic Mach 9 space plane.

Preliminary Assessment: The Pentagon’s New UAP Investigative Group

Micah Hanks·November 25, 2021

This week, we examine the DoD's all new UAP investigation effort, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.

Experts Urge for Dialogue, “Cool Heads” Following Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test

Raquel Santos·November 12, 2021

Flight tests of a new Chinese hypersonic missile system drew international attention in recent days, and fueled some concerns about the possibility of outer space nuclear attacks against the United States and its allies.

The U.S. Navy has Laid Development of its Hypersonic Railgun to Rest

Jazz Shaw·July 5, 2021

The United States Navy has officially abandoned the development of its hypersonic railgun after more than a decade of development.

New Liquid Coating Could Make Stealth Aircraft Invisible and Hypersonic

Christopher Plain·May 21, 2021

A team has developed a new ceramic-based coating that can make stealth aircraft more invisible, and can also work at hypersonic speeds.

This is the New High-Speed Propulsion System the DoD and Norway are Working On

Micah Hanks·March 24, 2021

The DoD and Norway aim to produce a new advanced solid fuel ramjet propulsion system with applications for future hypersonic weaponry.

Lockheed’s SR-72 Spy Plane May Be Autonomous and Reach Mach 6

Christopher Plain·February 4, 2021

Lockheed-Martin is developing a replacement for the long-retired SR-71 called the SR-72. With a host of upgrades, this plane is still a big mystery.

Europe At The Forefront of Hypersonic Missile Defense

Germany joined its European allies this month in the space based hypersonic missile defense system, TWISTER.

Christopher Plain·December 23, 2020

Europe may be technologically poised to lead the world in defense against future hypersonic missiles via its space-based TWISTER program.

Battelle Designing Materials For Breakthrough Hypersonic Speeds

Battelle Memorial Institute awarded nearly $50 million dollars by the DoD to manufacture materials capable of withstanding speeds excess of Mach 5.

Tim McMillan·December 11, 2020

The global race for hypersonic flight continues to heat up. Presently, the United States, Russia, China, Australia, India,...

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