People are already accustomed to fast service, to high-speed exchange of information, but, perhaps, many are still interested in the way to quickly move from one point to another. It is believed that the best choice for both civilian and military needs is organized air travel. However, even among warships, aircraft are not uniform in speed. There are real record holders.
The American company Boeing is rightfully considered the leader in the aircraft industry. It is its specialists who own the laurels of creating the world's fastest military aircraft, called the Boeing X-43. This is not just an airplane, it is a hypersonic vehicle that can move independently, regardless of the "human factor". During the test tests, the aircraft without a pilot could fly at a speed of 11,230 thousand kilometers per hour.
Developers
The best specialists of such companies as:
- NASA, - Orbital Sciences Corporation, - MicroCraft Inс.
All of these American firms have long been developing and testing the best vehicles in the world.
About $ 250 million was spent on the development of the project, and this is only for research.
It took about 10 years to figure out how to create such a superfast aircraft. Industry heroes often give interviews about the challenges and breakthroughs they have made in “breaking the speed of sound”. So, it was necessary to create such an engine that could accelerate a heavy ship to supersonic speeds.
Features of the vessel
The X-43 aircraft is relatively small in size, its length is about 4 meters. Its main distinguishing feature is a ramjet engine for supersonic combustion. This engine model was installed for the first time as an experimental one. It is curious that the mechanism does not have a single part that would come into contact with another and cause a frictional force. Such an innovative device became a real breakthrough in engine building and today is already actively exploited by concerns that produce cars.
A mixture of oxygen and hydrogen was used as fuel for the Boeing X-43. To reduce the weight of the ship, the developers did not install oxygen tanks, having formed the supply system in such a way that the apparatus could receive it from the atmosphere. After combining two substances, that is, oxygen and hydrogen, the plane begins to emit simple water vapor. The developers consider this to be another plus, because this way the planes do not pollute the environment.
After a series of tests, scientists have calculated that such a hypersonic aircraft can reach any point on the planet in just 3-4 hours.
Testing
Test work on the aircraft is interesting. The first experimental flight lasted only 11 seconds, after which the plane was destroyed. The second attempt did not bring the desired result by the developer. And only for the third time the ship was able to set the world speed record - 11,230 kilometers per hour. It is worth noting that the Kh-34 model is considered the second fastest aircraft in the world. Its speed reaches 12144 kilometers per hour. But in the list of fast planes, he is in second place, because during the experiment he showed more modest performance.
