They’ve made it work on the ground and now Aerojet is working toward a flying version of its HyFly hypersonic ramjet missile engine. The company recently completed tests of a beefed up “heavy-weight” variant of the engine at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. The engine was tested in simulated conditions at various altitudes and speeds as high as Mach 6.5. “The success of the tests … demonstrates our ability to design, build and manage testing of a hypersonic engine,” Program Manager Chuck Beaudry said in a news release. Aerojet is developing the engine for Boeing’s Phantom Works as part of its contract to develop the HyFly long-range strike missile demonstrator program. The recent tests will help Aerojet optimize the design and performance of the engine before building a “flightweight” model that can be put inside a missile. Flight tests will eventually be carried out at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station in California.
Hypersonic Engine Passes Ground Tests
Key Takeaways:
- Aerojet successfully completed ground tests of a "heavy-weight" variant of its HyFly hypersonic ramjet missile engine, simulating speeds up to Mach 6.5.
- These tests demonstrate Aerojet's capability in designing and testing hypersonic engines and will help optimize the design for future flight models.
- The engine is being developed for Boeing's Phantom Works as part of the HyFly long-range strike missile demonstrator program, with flight tests planned for the future.
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