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The “Least Achievable” Option:


Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Darryl Davis, Boeing’s head of advanced precision engagement and mobility systems, said today at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington that of all the options to get a long range strike capability “on the ramp” by 2018, a hypersonic platform is the “least achievable.” Davis told reporters that while hypersonic missiles might be possible within the Air Force’s timetable, for a full-size aircraft, the “technologies are not mature enough” to enter a development program in time to meet the deadline. Boeing is involved in two hypersonic ongoing missile demonstrations—HyFly and X-51. It will take another two years to judge when a low-risk, full-size hypersonic aircraft will be possible, Davis said.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org