U.S. Drone Shattering Speed Barrier More Than Fivefold Over Sound Speed.
Freaking Badass Hypersonic Flight Vehicle Carries Over 450 Kilos
Stratolaunch, a company with ties to the US military, managed to pull off two epic flights of the Talon-A2 hypersonic vehicle back in December 2024 and March 2025. These babies rocketed past Mach 5 (that's over 6,200 km/h for those who aren't speed demons)! And guess what, homey? This isn't just luck or a fluke. These feats show serious progress in the development of reusable hypersonic tech, according to Interesting Engineering.
Talon-A2 is rolling deep with the MACH-TB (Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Testbed) squad, a program designed to speed up tests of hypersonic weapons, using private sector resources. In both flights, the Talon-A2 got released from Stratolaunch's Model 351 Roc plane, took off over the Pacific Ocean, and then pulled off an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, leaving everyone in awe.
"We've proven that autonomous systems can do their thing: separating from the carrier, lighting up the engines, ramping up to hypersonic speeds, and nailing the landing," Stratolaunch bragged.
Talon-A2 runs on Ursa Major's Hadley rocket and hops on a liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel source, generating 5,000 pounds of thrust. That's enough juice to zoom past Mach 5 at warp speed! This bad boy can carry up to 450 kg of cargo and it's totally reusable, y'all!
The Roc plane (Stratolaunch Model 351) is the biggest boy in the playground, boasting a wingspan of 117 meters. Stratolaunch first built this beast for satellite launches, but after a change of owners in 2019, the company started focusing on hypersonic testing instead.
Gearing up for more incredible flights, Stratolaunch plans to roll out Talon-A3 later in 2025. This new model will launch from a modified Boeing 747 cosmic roller skates, called Cosmic Girl.
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(P.S. We scoured the web to get some additional juicy details for you, but nothing specific about the payload capacity of the Talon-A2. However, we did learn that:
- The Talon-A2's propulsion system comes from Ursa Major's Hadley rocket engine that uses a reusable, oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene.
- The vehicle has achieved speeds of Mach 5 or more, marking major advancements in hypersonic technology.
- It's launched from Stratolaunch's massive Roc carrier aircraft and recovers intact, demonstrating the vehicle's reusability.
- The Talon-A2 may be part of broader efforts to develop reusable hypersonic vehicles for various applications, including military and defense missions.)
The achievements of Talon-A2, a hypersonic vehicle, are not mere luck but indicators of significant progress in the development of reusable hypersonic technology, as stated by Interesting Engineering. This vehicle, powered by Ursa Major's Hadley rocket engine, can carry up to 450 kg of cargo and, remarkably, is fully reusable.
