By Dean Murray via SWNS
A civil aircraft has flown supersonic for the first time since Concorde.
Dawn Aerospace says the Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft broke the sound barrier on its recent test flight.
The flight, conducted from New Zealand’s Glentanner Aerodrome near the base of Aoraki Mt Cook, exceeded its test target speeds and altitude of Mach 1.05 and 75,000 feet.
The Aurora also set a global record, becoming the fastest aircraft to climb from ground level to 20 km (66,000 feet), completing the ascent in just 118.6 seconds. This beats the previous record, held by a highly modified F-15 ‘Streak Eagle’ in the 1970s, by 4.2 seconds.
The company, operating as Dawn Hypersonics, achieved the milestone on 12 November, with the Aurora surpassing the speed of sound for the first time, reaching Mach 1.1 and climbing to an altitude of 82,500 feet.
They said: “This is over twice as high as commercial aircraft and marks the first time a civil aircraft has flown supersonic since Concorde.
“This achievement signifies a major step toward operational hypersonic travel and daily space access, establishing rocket-powered aircraft as a new class of ultra-high-performance vehicles.”
Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace, said: “This achievement highlights the immense potential of rocket-powered aircraft to achieve performance never seen before.
“With flight test 57, we retired the final major technical risk in the Aurora program: vehicle dynamics through the transonic regime. We have now confirmed the Aurora as the highest climb rate vehicle ever built.
“This milestone sets the stage for Aurora to become the world’s highest and fastest-flying aircraft and paves the way for the first operational hypersonic aircraft, redefining what’s possible in aviation.”
The company say Aurora is designed to fly to the edge of space—100 km altitude—twice in a single day, reaching speeds of Mach 3.5 during ascent and re-entry. The test Aurora craft is remotely piloted and has a wingspan of 13 ft (4 m).
Dawn Hypersonics will focus on advancing hypersonic flight, with a strong emphasis on international markets. Key research, development, and flight testing will continue in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Applications for the aircraft may include microgravity research, climate science, Earth observation, emergency response and testing high-speed flight.
