JAXA announces successful D-SEND flight

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has announced the successful flight of the Drop test for the Simplified Evaluation of Non-symmetrically Distributed sonic boom” Project (D-SEND#2) at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. The aircraft was carried to just over 98,000 feet by high altitude balloons and dropped.

During the freefall it accelerated to just over Mach 1.3, while passing other balloons with specially designed microphones positioned to capture the sonic boom of the passing aircraft.

The data is still being analyzed, but if they can make a quiet supersonic aircraft it will have huge implications for SST style aircraft and high speed air transport.

global.jaxa.jp...

a reply to: Zaphod58

looks familiar.

boeing, Lockheed and NASA designed something like this a few years ago. never did find out what became of it. ... ....


m.space.com...

m.aviationweek.com...

would be cool if lockheed and Boeing collaborated on a project like what jaxa did.

here's my question why would Japan want quiet boom technology. where would you be flying that you wouldn't want to be heard or noticed? anyhoo, sure the tech will be useful for civilian transport applications. like FedEx to Asia in 90 min. for when time is money and that mid level manager at your companies Tokyo office simply cant wait.

ps. look at how bad ass that all aluminium looking model in the wind tunnel tests in the link looks. wicked curves. would be sweet if we ever developed a bird that looked as cool as that.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

It's not about not being heard. There's still a sonic boom, but it's reduced to the point that SST aircraft could be successfully integrated into a transportation market going anywhere in the world.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I agree. as long as the boom goes up. it won't bother anybody. hello trips to pape'ete in 90 min. perfect for weekend getaways to bora bora. some snorkeling on Sunday afternoon back home In los angeles in time to take the dog for a late night walk and turn in for work in the morning.

this always looked pretty cool, for a concept design.



breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com...

originally posted by: BASSPLYR
a reply to: Zaphod58

looks familiar.

boeing, Lockheed and NASA designed something like this a few years ago. never did find out what became of it. ... ....


m.space.com...

m.aviationweek.com...

would be cool if lockheed and Boeing collaborated on a project like what jaxa did.

NASA is working on it. This is from last year, but it looks like they have been gearing up for some time, but your right there is likely a military aspect boom or no boom. One thing that pops up in the NASA link is that there seems to be no directive from the FAA as to how loud or how low a boom

www.nasa.gov...

a reply to: smurfy

didn't lockheed privately fund a quiet supersonic demonstrator to get Darpa interested in the late 90s?

a reply to: Zaphod58

Wasn't the sonic boom one of the reasons the Concorde fleet went out of service (that and the safety)?

Weren't they delegated to certain routes, and not necessarily the more profitable ones? I would imagine having supersonic transport that DIDNT blow out windows and cause people to scurry for cover would be a huge hit.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Yes. They had to be subsonic until 250 miles off the coast, and the entire way over land. So they could only really be used for coast to coast.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Yes, there was massive cross Atlantic competition for a supersonic airliner with Concorde being the winner. Suddenly 'issues' arose around the sonic booms and it was banned from flying supersonic over America which killed the economic viability of the aircraft. This is why there was so few. I wonder what would of happened if America had won...

a reply to: biggilo

The same thing. Sonic booms have long since proven to be a nuisance. We used to have reports of earthquakes from F-4s that were 100 miles out going supersonic.

a reply to: Zaphod58

hey cant remeber if this was true or not but its something i heard. didn't the air force or someone put a bunch of senior citizens on a bus in northern California to show them the blackbird when she was still classified? I think they were all residents of a little sleepy town and they were complaining non stop about the sonic booms wrecking havock around town. the govt looked into it and found most of the residents were veterans. decided the best way to stop them complaining was to simply show them the blackbird and said some line like "every time you hear that boom its the sound of freedom"

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Well, we re-named french fries...why not sonic booms?

"Son, those are FREEDOM BOOMS!"

a reply to: BASSPLYR

Great story there and yeah love the name, Freedom booms! Lol

Looks like the Europeans are not wanting to be left behind in the hunt for a usable SST:

www.telegraph.co.uk...

www.businessinsider.in...

Nice idea but with only a capacity for twenty at a time I doubt it will be financially viable.