DARPA's 2017 Shopping List Includes Hypersonics, a VTOL X Plane, TERN, Gremlins & more

a reply to: anzha

Like Zaph mentioned. VARIOUS only has two lift fans for the vertical part of it's flight envelope. It would be limited to payload that way so a rolling start would be more suited for MTW.

a reply to: Sammamishman

True, but DARPA is calling it a VTOL rather than VSTOL x plane.

a reply to: Zaphod58

How many TERN would you expect a destroyer, cruiser, etc. to carry?

I was thinking the minimum to keep one up in the air, but that means at least three and probably four. The TERNs are going to be too big for that, I think.

a reply to: anzha

The Flight IIA Burke's and beyond can carry 2 -60s, in hangars. Move one out onto the deck, and use that hangar for TERN airframes. You can probably fit three on a Burke, and still have her two helos.

a reply to: anzha

AFRE are we really allowed to discuss this?

anyways. AFRE is pretty fricken sweet. marriage of two time tested technologies. plus the amount of weight the plane has to carry aloft is massively reduced in consideration to what's been used in the past with the tbcc.

the actual design of the AFRE is quite elegant and offers so much more than say the SABRE.

I have a feeling that AFRE is more mature than the public knows. Thinks back to a memory from a month or so ago, standing on my sidewalk watching three "somethings" real early one morning tear ass across the sky.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That means for a CVBG, theoretically, you could have as many as 12 to 18 TERNs. That'd give a LOT of ISR.

Must make sure to have frequency hopping, encrypted data links. No free Predator Broadcasting Networks here, please.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

AFRE? Explain please.

a reply to: PhantomTwo

Advanced Full Range Engine. In simple terms it's a combined cycle engine. It starts out as a turbofan engine, and accelerates the aircraft through Mach 2, and then cycles to a ramjet/scramjet engine, to allow hypersonic flight.

It would look something like this:

a reply to: Zaphod58
In the reality you don't need to go on scramjet, opening the ramjet can be enough to having something flying mach 4+.
www.flightglobal.com... Interesting picture of a new hypersonic vehicle concept. Zaph staying at mach 4+ can surely resolve the 8 minutes problem ? It would be a big leap to have a mach 4+ aircraft.

a reply to: darksidius

The 8 minute barrier is for hypersonic which doesn't start till Mach 5+. Staying at mach 4 for extended times isn't the same as staying at mach 5-6 for the same amount of time.

a reply to: Zaphod58
That there is a turbine based combined cycle. Old and going the way of the dodo. Just look at all that crap it gotta haul while aloft. Two thirds of it is deadweight at any given time. This is not thelegant engine in which speak of in such esteem .

a reply to: Zaphod58

US Air Force is saying they could have a hypersonic missile prototype by 2020.

I think they've decided to start taking the gloves off because of the South China Sea and Syria/Ukraine.

About frakkin time.

Now if only they can keep from doing their traditional "kitchen sink is not enough" approach.

www.airforcetimes.com...

Looks like there is some movement again..

Under the High-Speed Strike Weapon project, flight experiments are planned by 2019 ahead of development and fielding in the early 2020s. At hypersonic speeds, a missile would hit a target 1,000nm away within 17 minutes or less. X-51 travelled 230nm in just over six minutes after dropping from a B-52 at 50,000ft.

Analysis on Hyperspeed Missiles