US supersonic flight tests failed

The US Air Force said Wednesday that the test flight of the X-51A Waverider unmanned aerial vehicle over the Pacific was delayed due to a control error that caused the aircraft to crash. tung.

>>> Testing the plane takes 46 minutes across the United States

The X-51A Waverider was designed to reach speeds of Mach 6, equivalent to 5,800 km / h (6 times the speed of sound) dropped from B-52 bombers at about 15,000 meters waters of California on 14/8.

Authorities said that the problem in a wing component was identified 16 seconds after the rocket launcher to accelerate the aircraft. After separation from the rocket, the X-51A lost control. This is the third of four X-51As built for the US military.

Under the test plan, the Waverider will be dropped from a B-52 wing off the coast of California from a height of about 15,000 meters.

The test is scheduled to begin at 10am (17pm GMT) on August 14 from Edwards Air Force Base.

US defense officials regard the supersonic aircraft as a means of increasing air power.

Someday, this technology could be used to increase the speed of commercial flights, resulting in super-fast intercontinental flights, such as the London-New York flight in less than an hour. lake.