An F-15E launched a hypersonic missile demonstrator, dubbed HyFly, which cleanly separated, then successfully ignited its solid rocket booster, reaching a speed greater than Mach 3, as part of a hypersonics test program run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Boeing, states a company news release. The partnership hopes to use the HyFly program to mature the dual combustion ramjet hypersonic missile concept, eventually enabling a missile that is compatible with Air Force platforms as well as Navy aircraft and vessels.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.