In the US, for the first time, the Dart AE supersonic drone will be launched: a rocket will be required for this

Suborbital drone with a hydrogen jet engine can fly at a speed of 7 strokes up to a distance of up to 2000 km, the creators assure. The US defense unit (DIU) is preparing to test the Suborbital Suir Supervitau Dart AE, developed by the Australian company Hypersonix. About it writes The Defense Post. DIU signed with Rocket Lab to assist in launching a hypersonic accelerator of a suborbital test electron (Haste).

This project will allow the US Ministry of Defense to carry out hypersonic tests of new systems. In particular, for the demonstration in Virginia, a test apparatus based on the Electron rocket launcher, modified to deploy a supersonic load, will launch Dart AE in the Rocket Lab on the Vollops Island in Vollops. The vehicle uses the technology of "indirect injection" fuel to start the drone during lifting, without entering the atmosphere. The tests will be conducted in the first quarter of 2025.

"Using the inheritance of the inexpensive Electron from Rocket Lab, a commercial small launch vehicle, which is most often launched in the world, has offers opportunities for real commercial tests that are much cheaper than current full-scale tests," Rocket Lab said. DART AE is a hypersonic drone with a direct air-reactive engine, printed on a 3D printer made of heat-resistant materials. It is intended for small -scale maneuvers at speed of up to 7 strokes (8600 km/h).

According to Airforce Technology, Dart AE has a length of 3 meters, a weight of 300 kg and a simple design with a small number of moving parts. It can overcome a distance of up to 1000 km, but it requires acceleration with an unmanaged probe rocket. It is assumed that this method will reduce the cost of starting and increase the versatility of the drone. The Dart AE itself is designed that customers can study the features of flight, data transmission and maneuverability at supersonic speeds.

Spartan helps to accelerate the drone-a multiple hypersonic direct-flow air-reactive engine that uses hydrogen fuel. It is noteworthy that he was also published on a 3D printer. In addition to zero carbon dioxide, clean hydrogen fuel allows you to switch on and off the engine several times during flight. This opportunity makes it possible to use a non -practical trajectory that can not be reached by ordinary missiles. Recently, the American company Kratos has shown the supersonic drone of Tanatos.