X51 Historic Hypersonic Flight

Defense Media Activity - Air Force
June 2, 2010 | 3:53

Package about testers from Edwards Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory successfully launching an X-51A Waverider SCRAM-jet off the California coast. After booster separation at 50-thousand feet, the air-breathing SCRAM-jet vehicle approached Mach 5 at an altitude of more than 60-thousand feet. The previous record was 12 seconds in the NASA X-43. Includes soundbites from Johnny Armstrong - chief engineer; Hypersonic Combined Test Force, Maj. Swami Iyer - test pilot X-51 carrier ship; 419th Flight Test Squadron, Maj. Sean Celi - B-52 test navigator; 419th Flight Test Squadron and Lt. Col. Todd Venema - director; Hypersonic Combined Test Force. Produced by Dawn Waldman; 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs.