Darpa's Mach 4 Jet

Darpa's R.A.S.C.A.L. (Responsive Access, Small Cargo and Affordable Launch Vehicle)




link

I think the overall concept is a good one though.

defence tech
The aircraft would be equipped with an injection system that brings oxygen and water into its engines to compensate for the lack of air at extremely high altitudes.

I never thought of that, thats an excellant idea, I wonder if that will be a priority in the raptors predessesor?

In the wind tunnel they successfuly tested it from mach .3 to mach 3. The supersonic inlet ramp geometry was changed for higher Mach numbers.

Its said that it hits mach 4 and coasts up to 150,000 ft!

BTW - In the link there is another link highlighted in red called "promised flight tests in 2005"(pdf), READ THIS, its a few pages long but its a good interesting one.

So what do ya think? Do you think this project will "sink or swim".

[edit on 14-9-2004 by Murcielago]

[edit on 14-9-2004 by Murcielago]

If all they say its true it one hell of an aircraft and i think it will be developed, who doesn't want a aircraft that goes mach 4 and goes up to 150.000 ft. If D.A.R.P.A. is releasing this info I cant imagine what they are keeping secret or what they already have.

Understand that DARPA helps to fund proof-of-concept things. For example, my company builds a model aircraft called CRW (Canard Rotor Wing).

www.boeing.com...

DARPA put in some money and so did one of the services, and the result is that we built one and tested it in Yuma, where it broke. We're building more but that will merely be a proof-of-concept airplane. Whether or not we even get the various government customers intersted in such an aircraft depends on service requrests, POMs (Program Objective Memoranda) a justification for the CRW to fit in a niche where other UCAVS won't work, and so on.

Then, if the government decides to fund a R&D effort, we get to bid on it against companies like Lockmart, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, EMBRAER, and several others.

Will they ever build CRW or Son-of-CRW? Nobody nows! Will it work? Probably? Is it necessary? Maybe, maybe not.

Defense acquisition is a whole lot more complex than someone coming up with a neat whizz-bang.

Yeah, Darpa does do alot, but they also do alot of "Black" things.

Though recently when most people hear the word Darpa, they just think about the too hyped up unmanned race that never got passed 7 miles.

What's it for, launch platform for satellites and attacking satellites?

Originally posted by taibunsuu
What's it for, launch platform for satellites and attacking satellites?

Yeah, Launching not attacking.

You should read the part I told you to read, its actually interesting.

They said they could launch a micro sat for around $750,000 and have the plane ready again in 24 hrs. Its allways good to have a quict turn around time.

and the launch of a satelite for under a million will get used alot, not just by military, but by the private sector to, weather is a big one.

I think the technology behind how they get to mach 4 that high will be used for future spy planes. Well i guess, unless there plan works.

Hmmm, of course it's going to be developed for launching satellites, but that also gives it the capability of launching satellite killers. All good if you ask me.

Originally posted by taibunsuu
Hmmm, of course it's going to be developed for launching satellites, but that also gives it the capability of launching satellite killers. All good if you ask me.

Never thought of that.

Good point though, Like if were going to war with Iran, the day before we strike there satelites mysteriously stop working, its a very possible that this weapon will work both ways.

But the downside is it could only be able to take out other low earth orbit ones, But never the less, good point.

Sounds like this thing could win the X-PRIZE

I love Darpa they never cease to amaze me and thats not even the black projects. Robotics,planes,nano tech heck they even gave us the Internet.Though I think they were ARPA back then

They have some of the most Brilliant minds there.

[edit on 15-9-2004 by ShadowXIX]

[edit on 15-9-2004 by ShadowXIX]

[edit on 15-9-2004 by ShadowXIX]

Originally posted by Murcielago

Originally posted by taibunsuu
Hmmm, of course it's going to be developed for launching satellites, but that also gives it the capability of launching satellite killers. All good if you ask me.

Never thought of that

.

Good point though, Like if were going to war with Iran, the day before we strike there satelites mysteriously stop working

, its a very possible that this weapon will work both ways.

But the downside is it could only be able to take out other low earth orbit ones, But never the less, good point.

F-15s can take out low earth orbit satellites. The kill vehicle's propulsion is just as important as the carrier's max altitude and velocity. Another problem with satellite killing is analogous to naval warfare, if you're at war with Country X and they are using / leasing / getting info from Country C's satellites, you can't blow up Country C's out of hand.

Nice find

I think we are at the beggining of a revolution to space plane technology. Surely if the US is doing things like this in open, we have MUCH more sophisticated things in developement, and probably a few already deployed.

taibunsuu
if you're at war with Country X and they are using / leasing / getting info from Country C's satellites, you can't blow up Country C's out of hand.

True, But you could place your new micro satelite either right in front of theres or find out the way there using it and make them think that there getting info from there satelite when actually our mini one is the one recieving there comands and we send them false pictures back, or send theres different freqeuncy signals and overwhelm it or confuse it, no matter how you do it, this plane gives you options that you previously didn't have.

Also, I didn't know the F-15 could takeout satelites, What missile do they use, and have they ever done it brfore?

ShadowXIX
Sounds like this thing could win the X-PRIZE

actually it needs to be fully civilian to be in the X-prize competition.

But other wise all you would have to do is put 2 midgets in its cargo bay.

Yeah I can think of a few governments that wouldn't have a problem winning the X-prize retroactively, so yeah civilians only.

Originally posted by Murcielago
Also, I didn't know the F-15 could takeout satelites, What missile do they use, and have they ever done it brfore?

ASAT (Anti-SATellite)

On 13 September 1985, the first and only destruction of a satellite by an American air-launched missile occurred, when an F-15A launched an ASAT against a retired communications satellite in a 555 km (345 mile) orbit.