DARPA cancels Blackswift hypersonic test bed

[cancidas]

from FightGlobal:

Funding cuts by lawmakers have doomed a hypersonic project named Blackswift that was to develop a long-awaited successor to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

The fiscal 2009 defence budget approved last month slashes requested spending for the Mach 6-capable Blackswift Test Bed project from $120 million to $10 million.

The combined-cycle Blackswift demonstrator was scheduled to complete first flight in 2012. It should have reached a top speed of Mach 6 using a combination of a turbojet and a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet). As a reusable aircraft, it should have been able to land and be ready to fly again after refuelling.

The original request included a $70 million contribution from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and $50 million from the US Air Force.

Blackswift was championed by former USAF chief of staff Gen Michael Moseley, who was fired by Secretary of Defense Bob Gates in June.

In a statement, DARPA said it would "not be possible" to continue the solicitation process with the available funding. Boeing and ATK and teamed up with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works team to submit a bid. Northrop Grumman had not confirmed whether it intended to submit a competing offer.

"Obviously, we are disappointed that we will not have the appropriated funds to move forward with the Blackswift flight test program," said Steven Walker, DARPA programme manager.

"A significant effort was put forward over the last several years to develop the propulsion technology required and to build a national government and industry team capable of developing and flying a reusable hypersonic testbed," Walker added.

The focus of hypersonics research will shift to focusing on supporting existing programmes.

The DARPA/USAF Falcon programme awarded to Lockheed will proceed with fabricating hypersonic technology vehicles that will begin flight tests in 2009.



Source: Flickr

you can see the videos here: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...-test-bed.html

[cancidas]

from FightGlobal:

Funding cuts by lawmakers have doomed a hypersonic project named Blackswift that was to develop a long-awaited successor to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

The fiscal 2009 defence budget approved last month slashes requested spending for the Mach 6-capable Blackswift Test Bed project from $120 million to $10 million.

The combined-cycle Blackswift demonstrator was scheduled to complete first flight in 2012. It should have reached a top speed of Mach 6 using a combination of a turbojet and a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet). As a reusable aircraft, it should have been able to land and be ready to fly again after refuelling.

The original request included a $70 million contribution from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and $50 million from the US Air Force.

Blackswift was championed by former USAF chief of staff Gen Michael Moseley, who was fired by Secretary of Defense Bob Gates in June.

In a statement, DARPA said it would "not be possible" to continue the solicitation process with the available funding. Boeing and ATK and teamed up with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works team to submit a bid. Northrop Grumman had not confirmed whether it intended to submit a competing offer.

"Obviously, we are disappointed that we will not have the appropriated funds to move forward with the Blackswift flight test program," said Steven Walker, DARPA programme manager.

"A significant effort was put forward over the last several years to develop the propulsion technology required and to build a national government and industry team capable of developing and flying a reusable hypersonic testbed," Walker added.

The focus of hypersonics research will shift to focusing on supporting existing programmes.

The DARPA/USAF Falcon programme awarded to Lockheed will proceed with fabricating hypersonic technology vehicles that will begin flight tests in 2009.



Source: Flickr

you can see the videos here: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...-test-bed.html

[Jetinder]

I feel gutted :(, its always down to the bean counters who scrap these things :(

Why can't they leave these things alone and let technology progress.

If Blackswift had flown the technology could have filtered back to make a Boeing 777 size "son of Concorde"............. and LHR -> JFK could have been 2 hrs or less away.......... but now thanks to bean counters we will never see this happen :(

[Jetinder]

I feel gutted :(, its always down to the bean counters who scrap these things :(

Why can't they leave these things alone and let technology progress.

If Blackswift had flown the technology could have filtered back to make a Boeing 777 size "son of Concorde"............. and LHR -> JFK could have been 2 hrs or less away.......... but now thanks to bean counters we will never see this happen :(

[moose135]

Sorry, Jetinder, it's not the "bean counters" who killed this project. The US has spent nearly $600 billion to day in Iraq, which doesn't even begin to count the billions that will be needed to re-equip and reconstitut the US military. With the current economic condition, choices need to be made, and priorities set. We have serious needs to fill, and right now a "son of Concorde" isn't close to being on that list.

[moose135]

Sorry, Jetinder, it's not the "bean counters" who killed this project. The US has spent nearly $600 billion to day in Iraq, which doesn't even begin to count the billions that will be needed to re-equip and reconstitut the US military. With the current economic condition, choices need to be made, and priorities set. We have serious needs to fill, and right now a "son of Concorde" isn't close to being on that list.

[Matt Molnar]

I feel this probably would not have been the actual "successor" to the SR-71, maybe just the first publicly acknowledged one. I think there's a pretty good chance we have something flying around that nobody knows about, just like we didn't know about the Blackbird until many years after it entered service. Then again the need for aircraft like this might be gone...we have so many surveillance satellites now that there are probably very few missions remaining for an SR-71-type plane.

I feel gutted :(, its always down to the bean counters who scrap these things :(

Why can't they leave these things alone and let technology progress.

If Blackswift had flown the technology could have filtered back to make a Boeing 777 size "son of Concorde"............. and LHR -> JFK could have been 2 hrs or less away.......... but now thanks to bean counters we will never see this happen :(

Don't worry, not all is lost... the Pentagon has some other hypersonic tech in the works...mainly for missiles, but no reason the engine technology couldn't be applied to other types of aircraft. No matter what, it's not going to happen any time soon...it will take quite an extraordinary amount of testing and refinement to make sure a Mach 6+ aircraft is safe and comfortable for paying customers.

[Matt Molnar]

I feel this probably would not have been the actual "successor" to the SR-71, maybe just the first publicly acknowledged one. I think there's a pretty good chance we have something flying around that nobody knows about, just like we didn't know about the Blackbird until many years after it entered service. Then again the need for aircraft like this might be gone...we have so many surveillance satellites now that there are probably very few missions remaining for an SR-71-type plane.

I feel gutted :(, its always down to the bean counters who scrap these things :(

Why can't they leave these things alone and let technology progress.

If Blackswift had flown the technology could have filtered back to make a Boeing 777 size "son of Concorde"............. and LHR -> JFK could have been 2 hrs or less away.......... but now thanks to bean counters we will never see this happen :(

Don't worry, not all is lost... the Pentagon has some other hypersonic tech in the works...mainly for missiles, but no reason the engine technology couldn't be applied to other types of aircraft. No matter what, it's not going to happen any time soon...it will take quite an extraordinary amount of testing and refinement to make sure a Mach 6+ aircraft is safe and comfortable for paying customers.

[Jetinder]

Sorry, Jetinder, it's not the "bean counters" who killed this project. The US has spent nearly $600 billion to day in Iraq, which doesn't even begin to count the billions that will be needed to re-equip and reconstitut the US military. With the current economic condition, choices need to be made, and priorities set. We have serious needs to fill, and right now a "son of Concorde" isn't close to being on that list.

Hi moose :)

Point taken $600 billion in Iraq is huge amount of money and i didnt mean to cause any offense to you.

I thought "son of blackbird" was already flying in the aurora
:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_aircraft

[Jetinder]

Sorry, Jetinder, it's not the "bean counters" who killed this project. The US has spent nearly $600 billion to day in Iraq, which doesn't even begin to count the billions that will be needed to re-equip and reconstitut the US military. With the current economic condition, choices need to be made, and priorities set. We have serious needs to fill, and right now a "son of Concorde" isn't close to being on that list.

Hi moose :)

Point taken $600 billion in Iraq is huge amount of money and i didnt mean to cause any offense to you.

I thought "son of blackbird" was already flying in the aurora
:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_aircraft