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Looks like the skunk works is at it again...

This is kinda neat...

Supersonic flight has always had a "sexy" connotation but its practicality is always been less than ideal (as the film alludes to). But while the sonic boom is a big problem from a public nuisance standpoint--the first time you hear a sonic boom is not usually a pleasant experience--the engineering of efficient Mach 1-plus operations has always been challenging.

Assuming Gulfstream and Kelly Johnson's boys have broken the code, as they claim, I'd love to know how they:

1) Eliminated the boom. Fuselage shape and the tail structure are clues.
2) Managed the exponential increase in drag as the supersonic airflow attaches to the airframe.
3) Dealt with the skin heating at extended Mach+ cruise.
4) Decided on the kind of fuel required and if it's got unique qualities for the type of engines this thing will have. Granted, its cruise speed was substantially higher, but the SR-71's JP-7 "jelly" was a special mix.

...First buyer? My guess is a sheikh or John Travolta. -Instapilot

H/T: Mike Daley

5 Comments

Looks like the result of a dalliance between the RB-70 and the SR-71 after a Castle 'Rita Party....
 
Have uploaded it to You-Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvHFkX2Rqow Thanks Guys
 
For #1 I'd say they managed to reduce Reynold's Number (if that's what it's called in aviation circles) to near zero. Likely through a combination of shape and surface texture.
 
Me, I'm just digging on a Warthog jock waxing poetical on the subject of supersonic flight, like. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
 
M'self, I'm waiting on homebuilt supersonic aircraft, running on affordable (yeah, right) fuel... Jim Bede came close, really, no kiddin, no cheatin' this time!