Strike/Recon Aircraft Should Fly As Fast As Mach 6

Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs ... also known as the "Skunk Works" ... has posted some new information about the SR-72 aircraft that has been under development in conjunction with DARPA since 2000.

The airplane, which will be the successor to the SR-71 Blackbird, will be a strike and reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying in excess of Mach 6, according to a report from Aviation Week.

The airplane is being developed in conjunction with Aerojet Rocketdyne under a 2006 agreement. Tests of a combined cycle engine incorporating elements of both a rocket engine and scramjet were conducted between 2013 and 2017.

Lockheed is close to getting started on developing a flight research vehicle (FRV) that can either be flown by a pilot on board or remotely. The company says the FRV could be flying early in the 2020s, with the SR-72 airborne by 2030.

LMC executive vice president and Skunk Works general manager told Aviation Week that hypersonic technology has matured, and "along with DARPA and the services, are working hard to get that capability into the hands of our warfighters as soon as possible.”

“Hypersonic aircraft, coupled with hypersonic missiles, could penetrate denied airspace and strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour,” said Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin program manager, Hypersonics, on the Skunk Works website. “Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades. The technology would be a game-changer in theater, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today.”

(Image from Lockheed Martin website)

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/features/2015/sr-72.html