Supersonic speed is the speed at which an object travels faster than sound. The speed during the flight of a supersonic aircraft is measured in Mach - the speed of the aircraft at a certain point in space relative to the speed of sound at the same point. Now it is rather difficult to surprise with such speeds of movement, and even some 80 years ago they only dreamed about it.

How it all started

In the forties of the twentieth century, during the Second World War, German designers actively worked on solving this issue, hoping to turn the tide of the war with the help of such aircraft. As we know, they did not succeed, the war ended. However, in 1945, closer to its completion, the German pilot L. Hoffmann, testing the world's first jet fighter Me-262, was able to reach a speed of about 980 km / h at an altitude of 7200 m.

The first to realize the dream of all pilots to overcome the supersonic barrier was the American test pilot Chuck Yeager. In 1947, this pilot was the first in history to overcome the speed of sound in a manned vehicle. He flew the prototype rocket-powered Bell X-1 aircraft. By the way, the German scientists captured during the war and their developments contributed quite a lot to the appearance of this device, as well as, in fact, to the entire further development of flight technologies.

The speed of sound was reached in the Soviet Union on December 26, 1948. It was an experimental aircraft LA-176, at an altitude of 9060 m, piloted by I.E. Fedorov and O.V. Sokolovsky. About a month later, on this aircraft, but with a more advanced engine, the speed of sound was not only achieved, but also exceeded by 7000 m. The LA-176 project was very promising, but due to the tragic death of O.V. Sokolovsky, who controlled this apparatus, the developments were closed.

In the future, the development of this industry slowed down somewhat, as a significant number of physical difficulties arose associated with controlling an aircraft at supersonic speeds. At high speeds, such a property of air as compressibility begins to appear, the aerodynamic streamlining becomes completely different. Wave resistance appears, and such an unpleasant phenomenon for any pilot as flutter - the plane begins to heat up very much.

Faced with these problems, the designers began to look for a radical solution that could overcome the difficulties. Such a decision turned out to be a complete revision of the design of aircraft designed for supersonic flights. Those streamlined forms of airliners that we are now seeing are the result of many years of scientific research.

Further development

At that moment, when the Second World War had just ended, and the Korean and Vietnamese wars had begun, the development of the industry could only take place through military technology. That is why the first production aircraft capable of flying faster than the speed of sound were the Soviet MiG-19 (NATO Farmer) and the American F-100 Super Saber. The speed record was held by an American aircraft - 1215 km / h (set on October 29, 1953), but already at the end of 1954 the MiG-19 was able to accelerate to 1450 km / h.

Interesting fact. Although the USSR and the United States of America did not conduct official hostilities, but the real multiple clashes during the Korean and Vietnam Wars showed the undeniable advantage of Soviet technology. For example, our MiG-19s were much lighter, had engines with better dynamic characteristics and, as a result, with a faster rate of climb. The radius of the possible combat use of the aircraft was 200 km more for the MiG-19. That is why the Americans really wanted to get an undamaged sample and even announced a reward for completing such a task. And it was implemented.

Already after the end of the Korean War, 1 MiG-19 aircraft was hijacked from the air base by Korean Air Force officer No Geum Sok. For which the Americans paid him the due $ 100,000 as a reward for the delivery of an undamaged aircraft.

Interesting fact. The first female pilot to reach the speed of sound is American Jacqueline Cochran. She reached a speed of 1270 km / h, piloting the F-86 Saber.

Development of civil aviation

In the 60s of the last century, after the appearance of technical developments tested during the wars, aviation began to develop rapidly. Found solutions for existing problems supersonic speeds, and then began the creation of the first supersonic passenger aircraft.

The first ever flight of a civilian airliner at a speed exceeding the speed of sound occurred on August 21, 1961 on a Douglas DC-8 aircraft. At the time of the flight, there were no passengers on the aircraft, except for the pilots, and ballast was placed to match the full load of the liner in these experimental conditions. A speed of 1262 km / h was reached when descending from a height of 15877 m to 12300 m.

Interesting fact. Boeing 747 SP-09 of China Airlines (China Airlines) February 19, 1985, making a flight from Taiwanese Taipei to Los Angeles, entered an uncontrollable dive. The reason for this was a malfunction of the engine and the subsequent unskilled actions of the personnel. During a dive from an altitude of 12500 m to 2900 m, where the crew was able to stabilize the aircraft, the speed of sound was exceeded. At the same time, the liner, not designed for such overloads, received serious damage to the tail section. However, with all this, only 2 people on board were seriously injured. The plane landed in San Francisco, was repaired and subsequently carried out passenger flights again.

However, really real supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS), capable of performing regular flights at speeds above the speed of sound, all two types were designed and built:

• Soviet airliner Tu-144;
• Anglo-French aircraft Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde.

Only these two aircraft were able to maintain cruising supersonic speed (English supercruise). At that time, they surpassed even most combat aircraft, the design of these liners was unique for its time. There were only a few types of aircraft capable of flying in supercruise mode, today most modern military vehicles are equipped with such capabilities.

Aviation of the USSR

The Soviet Tu-144 was built somewhat earlier than its European counterpart, so it can be considered the world's first passenger supersonic liner. The appearance of these aircraft, both Tu-144 and Concorde, will not leave anyone indifferent even now. It is unlikely that in the history of the aircraft industry there were more beautiful cars.

The Tu-144 has attractive characteristics, except for the range of practical use: higher cruising and lower landing speeds, a higher flight ceiling, but the history of our liner is much more tragic.

Important! Tu-144 is not only the first flying, but also the first crashed passenger supersonic airliner. The accident at the Le Bourget air show on June 3, 1973, in which 14 people died, was the first step towards the completion of Tu-144 flights. The unequivocal reasons have not been established, and the final version of the disaster raises many questions.

The second crash near Yegoryevsk in the Moscow region on May 23, 1978, where a fire broke out in flight and 2 crew members died during landing, became the final point in the decision to stop the operation of these aircraft. Despite the fact that, after analysis, it was found that the fire occurred as a result of a flaw in the fuel system of the new, tested engine, and the aircraft itself showed excellent controllability and structural reliability, when the burning one was able to land, the aircraft were removed from flights and taken out of commercial operation. .

How it happened abroad

The European Concorde, in turn, flew much longer from 1976 to 2003. However, due to unprofitability (the aircraft could not be brought to the minimum payback), the operation was also eventually curtailed. This was largely due to a plane crash in Paris on July 25, 2000: during takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport, the engine caught fire and the plane crashed to the ground (113 people died, including 4 on the ground), as well as the September 11 terrorist attacks 2001 Despite the fact that this was the only aircraft crash in 37 years of operation, and the attacks were not directly related to Concorde, the overall decrease in passenger flow reduced the already missing profitability of flights and led to the fact that the last flight of this aircraft was made at from Heathrow to Filton on 26 November 2003

Interesting fact. A ticket for a Concorde flight in the 70s cost at least $ 1,500 one way, towards the end of the nineties, the price rose to $ 4,000. A ticket for a seat on the last flight of this liner already cost $ 10,000.

Supersonic aviation at the moment

To date, solutions like the Tu-144 and Concorde are not expected. But, if you are the kind of person who does not care about the cost of tickets, there are a number of developments in the field of business flights and small-seat aircraft.

The most promising development is the XB-1 Baby Boom aircraft of the American company Boom technology from Colorado. This is a small aircraft, about 20 m long and with a wingspan of 5.2 m. It is equipped with 3 engines developed in the fifties for cruise missiles.

The capacity is planned to be about 45 people, with a flight range of 1800 km at a speed of up to Mach 2. At the moment, this is still development, but the first flight of the prototype is scheduled for 2018, and the aircraft itself should be certified by 2023. The creators plan to use the development both as a business jet for private transportation, and on regular low-capacity flights. The planned cost for a flight on this machine will be about $ 5,000, which is quite a lot, but at the same time comparable to the cost of a flight in business class.

However, if you look at the entire civil aviation industry as a whole, then with the current level of technology development, everything does not look very promising. Large companies are more concerned with generating value and profitability of projects than with new developments in the field of supersonic flight. The reason is that in the entire history of aviation there has not been a sufficiently successful implementation of tasks of this kind, no matter how they tried to achieve the goals, they all failed to one degree or another.

In general, those designers who are engaged in current projects are rather enthusiasts who are optimistic about the future, who, of course, expect to make profits, but are quite realistic about the results, and most of the projects still exist only on paper, and there are enough analytics are skeptical about the possibility of their implementation.

One of the few really big projects is the Concorde-2 supersonic aircraft patented by Airbus last year. Structurally, it will be an aircraft with three types of engines:

• Turbofan jet engines. Will be installed in front of the aircraft;
• Hypersonic air-jet engines. Will be mounted under the wings of the liner;
• Rocket engines. Installed in the rear fuselage.

This design feature involves the operation of various engines at certain stages of flight (takeoff, landing, movement at cruising speed).

Taking into account one of the main problems of civil air transportation - noise (standards of the organization air traffic most countries set a limit on the noise level, if the airport is located close to residential areas, this imposes restrictions on the possibility of night flights), Airbus has developed a special technology for the Concorde-2 project that allows vertical take-off. This will make it possible to practically avoid shock waves hitting the ground surface, which in turn will ensure that there is no discomfort for people below. Also, thanks to a similar design and technology, the flight of an airliner will take place at an altitude of about 30-35,000 m (at the moment, civil aviation flies at a maximum of 12,000 m), which will help reduce noise not only during takeoff, but throughout the entire flight, since this height shock sound waves will not be able to reach the surface.

The future of supersonic flight

Not everything is as sad as it might seem at first glance. Except civil aviation there is and always will be a military industry. The combat needs of the state, as before, drove the development of aviation, and will continue to do so. The armies of all states need more and more advanced aircraft. From year to year, this need only increases, which entails the creation of new design and technological solutions.

Sooner or later, development will reach a level where the use of military technology may become cost-effective for peaceful purposes as well.

Video

In the early 60s, it became clear that the USSR needed a supersonic passenger aircraft, because. the main jet liner of that time - Tu-104 from Moscow to Khabarovsk flew with two intermediate landings for refueling. The turboprop Tu-114 performed non-stop flights on this route, but it was in flight for as long as 14 hours. And the supersonic Tu-144 would cover a distance of 8500 kilometers in 3.5 hours! The Soviet Union needed a new modern supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS) to ensure the growing passenger traffic in the conditions of long transcontinental routes.

However, a detailed analysis and study of the proposed SPS projects based on the first supersonic bombers showed that the creation of an effective competitive SPS by modifying a military prototype is an extremely difficult task. The first supersonic heavy combat aircraft, in terms of their design solutions, basically met the requirements of a relatively short-term supersonic flight. For the ATP, it was required to ensure a long cruising flight at speeds of at least two speeds of sound - a Mach number equal to 2 (M = 2). The specifics of the task of transporting passengers additionally required a significant increase in the reliability of all elements of the aircraft structure, subject to more intensive operation, taking into account the increase in the duration of flights in supersonic modes. Analyzing all possible options for technical solutions, aviation specialists both in the USSR and in the West came to the firm opinion that an economically efficient SPS should be designed as a fundamentally new type of aircraft.

During the creation of the Soviet SPS, the domestic aviation science and industry were faced with a number of scientific and technical problems that our neither subsonic passenger nor military supersonic aviation faced. First of all, to ensure the required performance characteristics of the ATP, this is a flight at a speed of M = 2 for a distance of up to 6500 km with 100-120 passengers, in combination with acceptable takeoff and landing data, it was necessary to significantly improve the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft at cruising flight speeds. It was necessary to solve the issues of stability and controllability of a heavy aircraft during flights in the subsonic, transonic and supersonic regions, to develop practical methods for balancing the aircraft in all these modes, taking into account the minimization of aerodynamic losses. A long flight at a speed of M = 2 was associated with research and ensuring the strength of the structure and airframe units at elevated temperatures close to 100-120 degrees C, it was necessary to create heat-resistant structural materials, lubricants, sealants, and also to develop types of structures that could work for a long time under conditions of cyclic aerodynamic heating.

The aerodynamic appearance of the Tu-144 was determined mainly by obtaining a long range of flight in supersonic cruising mode, provided that the required stability and controllability characteristics were obtained, as well as the specified take-off and landing characteristics. The aerodynamic quality of the Tu-144 at double the speed of sound was 8.1, on the Concorde - 7.7, and for most supersonic MiGs of the mid-60s of the last century, the AK did not exceed a coefficient equal to 3.4. The design of the airframe of the first SPS mainly used traditional aluminum alloys, 20% of it was made of titanium, which tolerates heat well up to 200 degrees C. The only aircraft in the world that also used titanium was the SR-71, the famous Blackbird ”, American supersonic reconnaissance.

TU-144D No. 77115 at the MAKS 2015 air show / Photo (c) Andrey Velichko

Based on the conditions for obtaining the required aerodynamic quality and the optimal operating modes of the airframe, aircraft systems and assemblies at subsonic and supersonic speeds, we settled on a low-wing "tailless" scheme with a compound delta wing of an ogive shape. The wing was formed by two triangular surfaces with a sweep angle along the leading edge of 78 ° and 55 ° - for the rear base. Four turbofan engines were placed under the wing. The vertical tail was located along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The design of the airframe mainly used traditional aluminum alloys. The wing was formed from symmetrical profiles and had a complex twist in two directions: in the longitudinal and transverse. This achieved the best flow around the wing surface in supersonic mode, in addition, such a twist contributed to the improvement of longitudinal balancing in this mode.

The construction of the first prototype Tu-144 ("044") began in 1965, while the second copy was being built for static testing. Experienced "044" was originally designed for 98 passengers, later this figure was increased to 120. Accordingly, the estimated take-off weight increased from 130 to 150 tons. An experimental machine was built in Moscow in the workshops of the MMZ "Experience", some of the units were manufactured at its branches. In 1967, the assembly of the main elements of the aircraft was completed. At the end of 1967, the experimental "044" was transported to the Zhukovsky flight test and development base, where, throughout 1968, development work was carried out and the machine was completed with the missing systems and assemblies.

At the same time, flights of the MiG-21I analogue aircraft (A-144, "21-11"), created on the basis of the MiG-21S fighter, began at the LII airfield. The analogue was created in the Design Bureau of A. I. Mikoyan and had a wing geometrically and aerodynamically similar to the wing of the experimental "044". In total, two "21-11" machines were built, many test pilots flew them, including those who were to test the Tu-144. The analogue aircraft successfully reached a speed of 2500 km/h, the materials of these flights served as the basis for the final fine-tuning of the Tu-144 wing, and also allowed the test pilots to prepare for the behavior of an aircraft with such a wing.

December 31, 1968 - the first flight of the Tu-144

At the end of 1968, the experimental "044" (tail number 68001) was ready for the first flight. A crew was appointed to the car, consisting of: the commander of the ship, Honored Test Pilot E. V. Elyan (who later received the Hero of the Soviet Union for the Tu-144); co-pilot - Honored Test Pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov; lead test engineer V. N. Benderov and flight engineer Yu. T. Seliverstov. Given the novelty of the aircraft, the Design Bureau made an extraordinary decision: for the first time, it was decided to install ejection seats for the crew on an experimental passenger car.

During the month, engine races, runs, ground checks of systems were held. From the beginning of the third decade of December 1968, "044" was in pre-launch readiness, the car and crew were completely ready for the first flight, during all these ten days there was no weather over the LII airfield, and the experimental Tu-144 remained on the ground. Finally, on the last day of the outgoing 1968, 25 seconds after the moment of launch, "044" for the first time broke away from the runway of the LII airfield and quickly gained altitude. The first flight lasted 37 minutes, in flight the car was accompanied by an analogue aircraft "21-11". The Tu-144 managed to take off two months earlier than its Anglo-French "colleague" - the Concord liner, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969.

According to the crew, the car proved to be obedient and "flying". A. N. Tupolev, A. A. Tupolev, and many heads of OKB departments were present at the first flight. The first flight of the Tu-144 was an event of world significance and an important moment in the history of domestic and world aviation. For the first time, a supersonic passenger aircraft took to the air.

On June 3, 1973, the first production car crashed during a demonstration flight at Le Bourget. The commander test pilot M. V. Kozlov, co-pilot V. M. Molchanov, deputy chief designer V. N. Benderov, flight engineer A. I. Dralin, navigator G. N. Bazhenov, engineer B. A. Pervukhin died. To investigate the disaster, a commission was created, in which experts from the USSR and France took part. According to the results of the investigation, the French noted that there was no failure in the technical part of the aircraft, the cause of the disaster was the presence of unfastened crew members in the cockpit, the sudden appearance of the Mirage aircraft in the field of view of the Tu-144 crew, the presence of a movie camera in the hands of one of the crew members, which when falling, it could jam the steering wheel. E. V. Elyan spoke most succinctly and accurately about the Tu-144 crash in Le Bourget in the 90s: flight control services, led to tragic consequences."

Nevertheless, the Tu-144 began to make regular flights. The first working flight was performed on December 26, 1975 on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route, where the aircraft carried mail and parcels, and from November 1977 passenger traffic began on the same direction.

The flights were carried out by only two aircraft - No. 77108 and No. 77109. Aeroflot pilots flew only as co-pilots, while the crew commanders were always test pilots from the Tupolev Design Bureau. A ticket cost a lot of money at that time - 82 rubles, and for a regular Il-18 or Tu-114 flight on the same route - 48 rubles.

From an economic point of view, after some time it became clear that the operation of the Tu-144 was unprofitable - supersonic aircraft flew half empty, and after 7 months the Tu-144 was removed from regular flights. Concord experienced similar problems: only 14 aircraft flew from Europe to America, and even expensive tickets could not compensate airlines for huge fuel costs. Unlike the Tu-144, Concorde flights were subsidized by the governments of France and Great Britain until almost the beginning of the 90s. The cost of a ticket on the London-New York route in 1986 was 2,745 USD. Only very wealthy people could afford such expensive flights, for whom the formula "time is money" is the main creed of existence. In the West, there were such people, and for them flying Concordes was a natural saving of time and money, which is confirmed by their total flight time on intercontinental routes in 1989 of 325,000 flight hours. Therefore, we can assume that the Concorde program for the British and French was sufficiently commercial, and subsidies were allocated to maintain prestige in relation to the Americans.

May 23, 1978 there was a second crash of the Tu-144. An improved experimental version of the Tu-144D aircraft (No. 77111) after a fuel fire in the area of ​​​​the engine nacelle of the 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cockpit and the shutdown of two engines by the crew, committed forced landing on a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city of Yegoryevsk. Crew commander V.D. Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin were able to leave the aircraft through the cockpit window. Engineers V. M. Kulesh, V. A. Isaev, V. N. Stolpovsky, who were in the cabin, left the plane through the front entrance door. Flight engineers O. A. Nikolaev and V. L. Venediktov were caught in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. The deflected nose fairing touched the ground first, it worked like a bulldozer knife, entering the ground, turned under the bottom and entered the fuselage. On June 1, 1978, Aeroflot permanently stopped supersonic passenger flights.

Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for cargo transportation between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the Tu-144 made 102 flights under the flag of Aeroflot, of which 55 were passenger flights, in which 3,194 passengers were transported.

Photo: Tu-144 board USSR-77115 / (c) Baskakov V.D.

Later, the Tu-144 made only test flights and a few flights in order to set world records. From 1995 to 1999, one heavily modified Tu-144D (No. 77114) called Tu-144LL was used by the US space agency NASA for research into high-speed commercial flights in order to develop a plan for creating a new, modern supersonic passenger aircraft. Due to the lack of serviceable NK-144 or RD-36-51 engines, NK-32s, similar to those used on the Tu-160, various sensors and control and recording equipment were installed on the Tu-144LL.

In total, 16 Tu-144 aircraft were built, which made a total of 2,556 sorties and flew 4,110 hours (among them, 432 hours, 77144 flew the most). The construction of four more aircraft was never completed.

Tu-144 board USSR-77114 parked in LII im. Gromov, airfield in Zhukovsky / Photo (c) Andrey Velichko, MAKS 2003

There are currently no aircraft remaining in flight condition. Almost completely equipped with parts and can be restored to flight condition only Tu-144LL No. 77114 and TU-144D No. 77115. Aircraft No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, is stored at the airfield in Zhukovsky. TU-144D No. 77115 is also stored at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Once every two years, these machines are demonstrated in a static parking lot during the international aerospace show MAKS.

	Tu-144 of various modifications				Concorde
	Tu-144 ("044")	Tu-144S	Tu-144D	Tu-144LL
Specifications
Crew, pers.	4				3
Length, m	59,40	65,70			61,66
Height, m	12,25	12,50			12,2
Wingspan, m	27,65	28,00	28,80		25,60
Wing area, m²	438	503	507		358,6
Maximum takeoff weight, kg	180 000	195 000	207 000	203 000	185 000
Payload weight, kg	12 000	15 000			13 380
Fuel weight, kg	70 000	98 000		95 000	95 680
Engines
Quantity	4
	NK-144	NK-144A	RD-36-51A	NK-32-1	Olympus 593
Thrust, maximum, kN	171,6	178,0	196,1	245,0	170,0
Supersonic thrust, kN	127,5	147,0		137,5
Flight characteristics
Max speed, km/h	2 443	2 500	2 285	2 500	2 330
Cruise speed (at supersonic), km/h	2 300	2 200	2 120	2 300	2 150
Landing speed, km/h	270				295
Practical range (with full load), km	2 920	3 080	5 330	4 000	6 470
practical ceiling, m			20 000		18 300
Takeoff run, m			2 930
Run length, m			2 570

It is interesting to compare the fate of the Tu-144 and the Anglo-French "Concorde" - machines close in purpose, design and time of creation. First of all, it should be noted that the Concorde was designed mainly for supersonic flights over deserted expanses. Atlantic Ocean. According to the terms of the sonic boom, this is the choice of lower altitudes of cruising supersonic flight and, as a result, a smaller wing area, a smaller takeoff weight, a lower required cruising thrust of the power plant and specific fuel consumption.

The Tu-144 had to fly mainly over land, so high flight altitudes and the corresponding parameters of the aircraft, the required thrust of the power plant were required. Less advanced engines should be added to this. In terms of their specific parameters, the Tu-144 engines approached the Olympus only in the latest versions, plus the worse specific parameters of domestic equipment and aircraft units compared to Western ones. All these negative starting points were largely compensated for by the high perfection of Tu-144 aerodynamics - in terms of the obtained aerodynamic quality when flying in supersonic cruising mode, the Tu-144 surpassed the Concorde. This was given by the complexity of the aircraft design and the decrease in the level of manufacturability in production.

rich in the USSR business people was not, therefore, there was no natural market for services that was supposed to satisfy the Tu-144. The aircraft obviously had to become largely subsidized and unprofitable in operation, which is why the Tu-144 creation program should be attributed to the concept of the country's prestige. There were no real economic prerequisites for the use of ATP in the aviation services market of the USSR in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, on the one hand, the heroic efforts of the Design Bureau of A. N. Tupolev and other enterprises and organizations of the MAP to develop the Tu-144, and on the other hand, the initial emotional upsurge and support from the country's leadership, which gradually turned into indifference and, to a large extent, inhibition on the part of the management of Aeroflot, which, by and large, simply did not need a low-income headache with the development of the most complex Tu-144 complex. Therefore, in the early 80s, when the features of the coming economic and political crisis began to clearly appear in the USSR, the Tu-144 program was one of the first to suffer.

Posted on Tue, 09/29/2015 - 07:20 by russianinterest...

Original taken from in Speed ​​like a dream. Speed ​​is a calling

Perhaps the 1960s can be considered the golden years of supersonic aviation. It was at that time that it seemed that, just a little bit more, squadrons of supersonic aircraft would become the only option for air combat, and supersonic liners would trace our sky with their traces, linking all major cities and world capitals. However, it turned out that, as in the case of manned space, a person’s approach to high speeds is by no means littered with roses: passenger aviation has frozen at around 800 kilometers per hour, and military aircraft hang around the sound barrier, occasionally daring to fly into space for a short time. the region of low supersonic, in the region of Mach 2 or slightly more.

What is it connected with? No, not at all with the fact that "there is no need to fly fast" or "nobody needs it." Rather, we are talking about the fact that at some point the world began to follow the path of least resistance and considered that scientific and technological progress is a self-running cart that is already going downhill, which is why pushing it additionally is only just a waste of extra energy.

Let us ask ourselves a simple question - why is supersonic flight so difficult and costly? Let's start with the fact that when the aircraft overcomes the supersonic barrier, the nature of the flow around the body of the aircraft changes dramatically: aerodynamic resistance increases sharply, the kinetic heating of the airframe structure increases, and due to the shift in the aerodynamic focus of the streamlined body, there is a loss of stability and controllability of the aircraft.

Of course, for the layman and the unprepared reader, all these terms sound rather faded and incomprehensible, but if we summarize all this in the form of one phrase, it will turn out: “it is difficult to fly in supersonic”. But, of course, it is by no means impossible. At the same time, in addition to increasing engine power, the creators of supersonic aircraft have to go for a conscious change in the external appearance of the aircraft - characteristic “rapid” straight lines appear in it, sharp corners on the nose and on the leading edges, which immediately distinguishes a supersonic aircraft even outwardly from “smooth "and" sleek "forms of subsonic aircraft.

The nose of the Tu-144 deviated down during takeoff and landing in order to provide at least a minimal view to the pilots.

In addition, when an aircraft is optimized for supersonic flight, it has another unpleasant feature: it becomes poorly adapted for subsonic flight and rather clumsy in takeoff and landing modes, which it still has to perform at fairly low speeds. Those very sharp lines and swift forms that are so good at supersonics give in to the low speeds at which supersonic aircraft inevitably have to move at the beginning and end of their flight. And the sharp noses of supersonic machines also do not give pilots complete review WFP.

Here, as an example, are the noses of two Soviet supersonic aircraft not sold in the series - the M-50 Myasishchev Design Bureau (in the background) and the T-4 “object 100” of the Sukhoi Design Bureau (close).

The efforts of the designers are clearly visible: this is either an attempt to reach a compromise in the contours, like the M-50, or a sliding nose deviating downwards, like the T-4. Interestingly, the T-4 could well have become the first serial supersonic aircraft, which would fly completely in horizontal supersonic flight without a natural view through the cockpit canopy: at supersonic, the nose fairing completely covered the cockpit and all navigation was carried out only by instruments, in addition, the aircraft had an optical periscope. The current level of development of navigation and telemetry tools makes it possible, by the way, to abandon the complex design of the sliding nose fairing of a supersonic aircraft - it can already be lifted and landed only by instruments, or even without the participation of pilots.

The same conditions and tasks give rise to similar constructions. The Anglo-French "Concorde" nose also moved down during takeoff and landing.

What prevented the USSR from creating in 1974 an innovative anti-ship warfare system based on the supersonic T-4, which was so advanced that there were as many as 600 patents in its design?

The thing is that the Sukhoi Design Bureau by the mid-1970s did not have its own production facilities for conducting extended state tests of the "object 100". For this process, not an experimental, but a serial plant was needed, for the role of which KAPO (Kazan Aviation Plant) was quite suitable. However, as soon as the decision on the preparation of the Kazan Aviation Plant for the assembly of the pilot batch of T-4 began to be prepared, Academician Tupolev, realizing that he was losing the serial plant, which produced the "strategic defect carrier" Tu-22, came out with an initiative proposal to create its modification Tu-22M, for which, allegedly, it was only necessary to slightly re-profile production. Although, in the future, the Tu-22M was developed as a completely new aircraft, the decision to transfer the Kazan plant to Sukhoi was not made at the time, and the T-4 ended up in the museum in Monino.

Such a big difference between the Tu-22 and Tu-22M is a legacy of the fight against the T-4.

The issue of the nose cone is not the only compromise that the creators of supersonic aircraft have to make. For many reasons, they end up with both an imperfect supersonic glider and a mediocre subsonic aircraft. Thus, the achievement of new frontiers by aviation in terms of speed and altitude is often associated not only with the use of a more advanced or fundamentally new propulsion system and a new layout of aircraft, but also with changes in their geometry in flight. On the first generation of supersonic machines, this option was never implemented, but it was this idea of ​​​​a variable sweep wing that eventually became almost canon in the 1970s. Such changes in the sweep of the wing, while improving the characteristics of the aircraft at high speeds, should not have worsened their qualities at low speeds, and vice versa.

The Boeing 2707 was to be the first passenger supersonic aircraft with a variable-swept wing.

It is interesting that the fate of the Boeing-2707 was not ruined by its constructive imperfection, but only by a host of political issues. By 1969, when the Boeing 2707 development program was in its final stretch, 26 airlines had ordered 122 Boeing 2707 aircraft at a cost of nearly $5 billion. At this point, the Boeing program had already left the design and research phase and the construction of two prototypes of the 2707 model had begun. To complete their construction and manufacture test aircraft, the company needed to attract somewhere between 1-2 billion. And the total cost of the program with the construction 500 aircraft approached 5 billion dollars. Government loans were required. In principle, at another time, Boeing would have found its own funds for this, but the 1960s were not like that.

In the late 1960s, Boeing's production facilities were heavily loaded with the creation of the largest subsonic passenger aircraft in the world - the Boeing 747, on which we still fly. Because of this, the model 2707 literally for several years “did not “crowd” forward from the “air cattle truck” and ended up behind its curvy fuselage. As a result, all cash financing and all equipment were involved in the production of the 747, and the 2707 was financed by Boeing on a residual basis.

Two approaches to passenger aviation- "Boeing-747" and "Boeing-2707" in one picture.

But the difficulties in building the 2707 were much more serious than just technical issues or Boeing's production program. Since 1967, there has been a growing environmental movement in the United States against supersonic passenger transport. It was claimed that their flights would destroy the ozone layer, and the powerful acoustic shock that occurs during supersonic flight was considered unacceptable for populated areas. Under pressure from public opinion, and then Congress, President Nixon creates a commission of 12 members to decide on the financing of the SST program, which included the Boeing 2707. But contrary to his expectations, the commission rejects the need to create SST not only for environmental but also for economic reasons. To create the first aircraft, according to their calculations, it was necessary to spend 3 billion dollars, which would pay off only with the sale of 300 aircraft. The financial condition of the United States was weakened by the long war in Vietnam and the cost of the lunar race.

Work on the 2707 model was discontinued in 1971, after which Boeing tried to continue construction at its own expense for about a year. In addition, individuals, including students and schoolchildren, also tried to support the "American Dream Plane", which raised more than a million dollars. But this did not save the program. The end of the program coincided with a recession in the aerospace industry and an oil crisis, which forced Boeing to lay off nearly 70,000 of its employees in Seattle, and the Model 2707 was dubbed "the plane that ate Seattle."

Goodnight, sweet prince. The cockpit and part of the fuselage of a Boeing 2707 at the Hiller Aviation Museum.

What motivated the creators of supersonic machines? With military customers, the situation is generally clear. Warriors have always needed a plane that would fly higher and faster. The supersonic flight speed made it possible not only to reach enemy territory faster, but also to increase the flight ceiling of such an aircraft to a height of 20-25 kilometers, which was important for reconnaissance and bombers. At high speeds, as we remember, the lift force of the wing also grows, due to which the flight could take place in a more rarefied atmosphere, and, as a result, at a higher altitude.

In the 1960s, before the advent of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of hitting targets at high altitudes, the main principle of the use of bombers was to fly to the target at the highest possible altitude and speed. Of course, the current air defense systems close this kind of niche for the use of supersonic aircraft (for example, the S-400 complex can shoot down targets directly in space, at an altitude of 185 kilometers and at their own speed of 4.8 km / s, in fact, being a missile defense system , not air defense). However, in operations against ground, surface and air targets, supersonic speed is quite in demand and is still present in promising military plans for both Russian and Western aircraft. It’s just that the implementation of a fairly complex supersonic flight is hardly compatible with the task of stealth and stealth, which they have been trying to instill in bombers and fighters over the past 30 years, which is why you have to choose, as they say, one thing - either hide or break through.

However, does Russia now have a reliable means against American AUGs? In order not to approach them for 300 kilometers to launch the Onyxes with some inconspicuous but vulnerable vessel? The T-4 had a coherent concept of its own style of destroying an aircraft carrier group, but does Russia have it now? I think not - just as there are still no Kh-33 and X-45 hypersonic missiles.

American bomber XB-70 "Valkyrie". It was with them that the MiG-25 had to fight.

Where the future of military aircraft construction will turn is an open question.

I want to say a few more words about civilian supersonic aircraft.

Their operation made it possible not only to significantly reduce the flight time on long-haul flights, but also to use unloaded airspace for high altitude(about 18 km), while the main airspace used by liners (heights of 9-12 km) was already significantly loaded even in the 1960s. Also, supersonic aircraft flew along straightened routes (outside airways and corridors). And this is not to mention the elementary: saving the time of ordinary passengers, which accounted for about half of the flight time for, for example, the Europe-US flight.

At the same time, I repeat once again - the project of supersonic aircraft, both military and civilian, is by no means impossible from a practical point of view or somehow unrealistic from an economic point of view.

We just turned “the wrong way” at one time and rolled the cart of progress not uphill, but along the easiest and most pleasant path - down and downhill. Even today, projects for supersonic passenger aircraft are being developed for the same segment for which another innovative concept was made: the Augusta-Westland tiltrotor AW609. This segment is a segment of business transportation for wealthy clients, when the plane carries not five thousand passengers in bestial conditions, but a dozen people in conditions of maximum efficiency and maximum comfort. Meet Aerio AS2. If you're lucky, it will fly in the near future, in 2021:

I think that everything is already quite serious there - both the partnership with Airbus and the announced investments of $3 billion make it possible to consider the project not as a "stool duck", but as a serious application. In short, "a respectable Lord is for respectable gentlemen." And not for all the rogues who allowed the world at the end of the twentieth century to turn onto an easy and convenient path.

However, I have already written about this, I will not repeat myself. Now it's nothing more than the past:

Now we live in a different world. In a world without supersonic aviation for everyone. However, this is not the worst loss.

On February 6, 1950, during the next test, the Soviet jet fighter MiG-17 in level flight exceeded the speed of sound, accelerating to almost 1070 km / h. This made it the first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. Developers Mikoyan and Gurevich were clearly proud of their brainchild.

For combat flights, the MiG-17 was considered near-sounding, since its cruising speed did not exceed 861 km / h. But this did not prevent the fighter from becoming one of the most common in the world. At various times, he was in service with Germany, China, Korea, Poland, Pakistan and dozens of other countries. This monster even took part in the fighting in the Vietnam War.

The MiG-17 is far from the only representative of the supersonic aircraft genre. We will talk about a dozen more air liners that also got ahead of the sound wave and became famous all over the world.

Bell X-1

The US Air Force specially equipped the Bell X-1 with a rocket engine, as they wanted to use it to study the problems of supersonic flight. On October 14, 1947, the device accelerated to 1541 km / h (Mach number 1.26), overcame a given barrier and turned into a star in the sky. Today, the record-breaking model rests in the Smithsonian Museum in the States.

Source: NASA

North American X-15

The North American X-15 is also equipped with rocket engines. But, unlike its American counterpart Bell X-1, this aircraft reached a speed of 6167 km / h (Mach number 5.58), turning into the first and for 40 years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in the history of mankind (since 1959). who performed suborbital manned space flights. With its help, even the reaction of the atmosphere to the entry of winged bodies into it was studied. In total, three units of X-15 type rocket planes were produced.

Source: NASA

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

It is a sin not to use supersonic aircraft for military purposes. Therefore, the US Air Force designed the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft with a maximum speed of 3,700 km/h (Mach 3.5). The main advantages are fast acceleration and high maneuverability, which allowed him to evade missiles. Also, the SR-71 was the first aircraft to be equipped with technologies to reduce radar visibility.

Only 32 units built, 12 of which crashed. Removed from service in 1998.

Source: af.mil

MiG-25

We cannot but recall the domestic MiG-25 - a 3rd generation supersonic high-altitude fighter-interceptor with a maximum speed of 3000 km / h (Mach number 2.83). The plane was so cool that even the Japanese coveted it. Therefore, on September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko had to hijack a MiG-25. After that, for many years in many parts of the Union, the aircraft began to fill up not to the end. The goal is to prevent them from flying to the nearest foreign airport.

Source: Alexey Beltyukov

MiG-31

Soviet scientists did not stop working for the aerial good of the fatherland. Therefore, in 1968, the design of the MiG-31 began. And on September 16, 1975, he first flew into the sky. This two-seat, supersonic, all-weather long-range fighter-interceptor accelerated to a speed of 2,500 km/h (Mach number 2.35) and became the first fourth-generation Soviet combat aircraft.

The MiG-31 is designed to intercept and destroy air targets at extremely low, low, medium and high altitudes, day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions, with active and passive radar interference, as well as false thermal targets. Four MiG-31s ​​can control airspace up to 900 kilometers long. This is not a plane, but the pride of the Union, which is still in service with Russia and Kazakhstan.

Source: Vitaly Kuzmin

Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor

The most expensive supersonic aircraft was built by the Americans. They modeled a fifth-generation multirole fighter, which became the most expensive among their peers. The Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor is the only fifth-generation fighter in service today and the first production fighter with a supersonic cruising speed of 1,890 km/h (Mach 1.78). The maximum speed is 2570 km / h (Mach 2.42). Until now, no one has surpassed him in the air.

Source: af.mil

Su-100/T-4

The Su-100/T-4 ("weave") was developed as an aircraft carrier fighter. But the engineers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau managed not only to achieve their goal, but to model a cool attack and reconnaissance bomber-missile carrier, which they later wanted to use even as a passenger aircraft and booster for the Spiral aerospace system. The maximum speed of the T-4 is 3200 km/h (Mach 3).

An ordinary passenger plane flies at a speed of about 900 km/h. A jet fighter jet can reach about three times the speed. However, modern engineers from the Russian Federation and other countries of the world are actively developing even faster machines - hypersonic aircraft. What are the specifics of the respective concepts?

Criteria for a hypersonic aircraft

What is a hypersonic aircraft? By such it is customary to understand an apparatus capable of flying at a speed many times higher than that for sound. Researchers' approaches to determining its specific indicator vary. There is a widespread methodology according to which an aircraft should be considered hypersonic if it is a multiple of the speed indicators of the fastest modern supersonic vehicles. Which are about 3-4 thousand km / h. That is, a hypersonic aircraft, if you follow this methodology, should reach speeds of 6 thousand km / h.

Unmanned and controlled vehicles

The approaches of researchers may also differ in terms of determining the criteria for classifying a particular apparatus as an aircraft. There is a version that only those machines that are controlled by a person can be considered as such. There is a point of view according to which an unmanned vehicle can also be considered an aircraft. Therefore, some analysts classify machines of the type in question into those that are subject to human control and those that function autonomously. Such a division can be justified, since unmanned vehicles can have much more impressive technical characteristics, for example, in terms of overload and speed.

At the same time, many researchers consider hypersonic aircraft as a single concept, for which the key indicator is speed. It does not matter whether a person is sitting at the helm of the apparatus or the machine is controlled by a robot - the main thing is that the aircraft is fast enough.

Takeoff - independent or with outside help?

The classification of hypersonic aircraft is widespread, which is based on classifying them as those that are capable of taking off independently, or those that involve placement on a more powerful carrier - a rocket or a cargo plane. There is a point of view according to which it is legitimate to refer to the vehicles of the type under consideration mainly those that are able to take off independently or with minimal involvement of other types of equipment. However, those researchers who believe that the main criterion characterizing a hypersonic aircraft, speed, should be paramount in any classification. Whether it is classifying the device as unmanned, controlled, capable of taking off independently or with the help of other machines - if the corresponding indicator reaches the above values, then it means that we are talking about a hypersonic aircraft.

The main problems of hypersonic solutions

The concepts of hypersonic solutions are many decades old. Throughout the years of development of the corresponding type of vehicles, world engineers have been solving a number of significant problems that objectively prevent the production of "hypersound" from being put on stream - similar to organizing the production of turboprop aircraft.

The main difficulty in the design of hypersonic aircraft is the creation of an engine that can be sufficiently energy efficient. Another problem is the alignment of the necessary apparatus. The fact is that the speed of a hypersonic aircraft in the values ​​that we considered above implies a strong heating of the hull due to friction against the atmosphere.

Today we will consider several samples of successful prototypes of aircraft of the corresponding type, the developers of which were able to make significant progress in terms of successfully solving the problems noted. Let us now study the most famous world developments in terms of creating hypersonic aircraft of the type in question.

from Boeing

The fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, according to some experts, is the American Boeing X-43A. So, during testing of this device, it was recorded that it reached a speed exceeding 11 thousand km / h. That is about 9.6 times faster

What is special about the X-43A hypersonic aircraft? The characteristics of this aircraft are as follows:

The maximum speed recorded in the tests is 11,230 km / h;

Wingspan - 1.5 m;

Hull length - 3.6 m;

Engine - direct-flow, Supersonic Combustion Ramjet;

Fuel - atmospheric oxygen, hydrogen.

It can be noted that the device in question is one of the most environmentally friendly. The fact is that the fuel used practically does not involve the release of harmful combustion products.

The X-43A hypersonic aircraft was developed by the joint efforts of NASA engineers, as well as Orbical Science Corporation and Minocraft. created for about 10 years. About 250 million dollars were invested in its development. The conceptual novelty of the aircraft under consideration is that it was conceived to test the latest technology for ensuring the operation of motive thrust.

Developed by Orbital Science

Orbital Science, which, as we noted above, took part in the creation of the X-43A, also managed to create its own hypersonic aircraft, the X-34.

Its top speed is over 12,000 km/h. True, in the course of practical tests it was not achieved - moreover, it was not possible to achieve the indicator shown by the X43-A aircraft. The aircraft in question is accelerated by the use of the Pegasus rocket, which operates on solid fuel. The X-34 was first tested in 2001. The aircraft in question is significantly larger than the aircraft from Boeing - its length is 17.78 m, the wingspan is 8.85 m. Max Height the flight of a hypersonic vehicle from Orbical Science is 75 kilometers.

Aircraft from North American

Another well-known hypersonic aircraft is the X-15, produced by North American. Analysts refer to this apparatus as experimental.

It is equipped, which gives some experts reason not to classify it, in fact, as an aircraft. However, the presence of rocket engines allows the device, in particular, to perform So, during one of the tests in this mode, it was tested by pilots. The purpose of the X-15 apparatus is to study the specifics of hypersonic flights, evaluate certain design solutions, new materials, and control features of such machines in various layers of the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that it was approved back in 1954. X-15 flies at a speed of more than 7 thousand km / h. Its flight range is more than 500 km, its altitude exceeds 100 km.

The fastest production aircraft

The hypersonic vehicles we studied above actually belong to the research category. It will be useful to consider some serial samples of aircraft that are close in characteristics to hypersonic or are (according to one methodology or another) hypersonic.

Among these machines is the American development of the SR-71. Some researchers are not inclined to classify this aircraft as hypersonic, since its maximum speed is about 3.7 thousand km / h. Among its most notable characteristics is its takeoff weight, which exceeds 77 tons. The length of the device is more than 23 m, the wingspan is more than 13 m.

One of the fastest military aircraft is the Russian MiG-25. The device can reach speeds of more than 3.3 thousand km / h. The maximum takeoff weight of the Russian aircraft is 41 tons.

Thus, in the market of serial solutions, close in characteristics to hypersonic ones, the Russian Federation is among the leaders. But what can be said about Russian developments in terms of "classic" hypersonic aircraft? Are engineers from the Russian Federation capable of creating a solution that is competitive with machines from Boeing and Orbital Scence?

Russian hypersonic vehicles

At the moment, the Russian hypersonic aircraft is under development. But she is quite active. We are talking about the Yu-71 aircraft. Its first tests, according to media reports, were carried out in February 2015 near Orenburg.

It is assumed that the aircraft will be used for military purposes. Thus, a hypersonic vehicle will be able, if necessary, to deliver striking weapons over considerable distances, monitor the territory, and also be used as an element of attack aviation. Some researchers believe that in 2020-2025. the Strategic Missile Forces will receive about 20 aircraft of the corresponding type.

There is information in the media that the Russian hypersonic aircraft in question will be placed on the Sarmat ballistic missile, which is also at the design stage. Some analysts believe that the Yu-71 hypersonic vehicle being developed is nothing more than a warhead that will have to separate from a ballistic missile in the final flight segment, so that, thanks to the high maneuverability characteristic of an aircraft, it will overcome missile defense systems.

Project Ajax

Among the most notable projects related to the development of hypersonic aircraft is Ajax. Let's study it in more detail. The Ajax hypersonic aircraft is a conceptual development of Soviet engineers. In the scientific community, talk about it began back in the 80s. Among the most notable features is the presence of a thermal protection system, which is designed to protect the case from overheating. Thus, the developers of the Ajax apparatus proposed a solution to one of the "hypersonic" problems we have identified above.

The traditional scheme of thermal protection of aircraft involves the placement of special materials on the body. The Ajax developers proposed a different concept, according to which it was supposed not to protect the device from external heating, but to let heat into the car, while increasing its energy resource. The main competitor of the Soviet apparatus was the Aurora hypersonic aircraft, created in the United States. However, due to the fact that designers from the USSR significantly expanded the capabilities of the concept, the widest range of tasks, in particular, research, was assigned to the new development. We can say that Ajax is a hypersonic multi-purpose aircraft.

Let us consider in more detail the technological innovations proposed by engineers from the USSR.

So, the Soviet developers of Ajax proposed to use the heat that arises as a result of the friction of the aircraft body against the atmosphere, to convert it into useful energy. Technically, this could be implemented by placing additional shells on the apparatus. As a result, something like a second building was formed. Its cavity was supposed to be filled with some kind of catalyst, for example, a mixture of combustible material and water. The heat-insulating layer made of a solid material in Ajax was supposed to be replaced with a liquid one, which, on the one hand, was supposed to protect the engine, on the other hand, would contribute to a catalytic reaction, which, meanwhile, could be accompanied by an endothermic effect - the movement of heat from the outside body parts inside. Theoretically, the cooling of the external parts of the apparatus could be anything. Excess heat, in turn, was supposed to be used in order to increase the efficiency of the aircraft engine. At the same time, this technology would make it possible to generate free hydrogen as a result of the reaction of fuel and species.

At the moment, there is no information available to the general public about the continuation of the development of Ajax, but researchers consider it very promising to put Soviet concepts into practice.

Chinese hypersonic vehicles

China is becoming a competitor to Russia and the United States in the hypersonic solutions market. Among the most famous developments of engineers from China is the WU-14 aircraft. It is a hypersonic glider mounted on a ballistic missile.

An ICBM launches an aircraft into space, from where the vehicle dives sharply down, developing hypersonic speed. The Chinese apparatus can be mounted on various ICBMs with a range of 2,000 to 12,000 km. It was found that during the tests, the WU-14 was able to reach speeds in excess of 12 thousand km / h, thus turning into the fastest hypersonic aircraft according to some analysts.

At the same time, many researchers believe that it is not quite right to attribute the Chinese development to the class of aircraft. So, the version is widespread, according to which the device should be classified precisely as a warhead. And very effective. When flying down at a marked speed, even the most modern missile defense systems will not be able to guarantee the interception of the corresponding target.

It can be noted that Russia and the United States are also developing hypersonic vehicles used for military purposes. At the same time, the Russian concept, according to which it is supposed to create machines of the corresponding type, differs significantly, as evidenced by data in some media, from the technological principles implemented by the Americans and the Chinese. So, developers from the Russian Federation are concentrating their efforts in the field of creating aircraft equipped with a ramjet engine capable of being launched from the ground. Russia is planning cooperation in this direction with India. Hypersonic devices created according to the Russian concept, according to some analysts, are characterized by lower cost and a wider scope.

At the same time, the Russian hypersonic aircraft, which we mentioned above (Yu-71), suggests, according to some analysts, just the same placement on ICBMs. If this thesis turns out to be true, then it will be possible to say that engineers from the Russian Federation are working simultaneously in two popular conceptual areas in the construction of hypersonic aircraft.

Summary

So, probably the fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, if we talk about aircraft, regardless of their classification, this is still the Chinese WU-14. Although you need to understand that real information about him, including those related to tests, can be classified. This is consistent with the principles of Chinese developers, who often strive to keep their military technology secret at all costs. The speed of the fastest hypersonic aircraft is over 12,000 km/h. It is "catching up" with the American development of the X-43A - many experts consider it to be the fastest. Theoretically, the X-43A hypersonic aircraft, as well as the Chinese WU-14, can catch up with the development from Orbical Science, designed for speeds of more than 12 thousand km / h.

The characteristics of the Russian Yu-71 aircraft are not yet known to the general public. It is possible that they will be close to the parameters of the Chinese aircraft. Russian engineers are also developing a hypersonic aircraft capable of taking off not on the basis of ICBMs, but independently.

The current projects of researchers from Russia, China and the United States are somehow connected with the military sphere. Hypersonic aircraft, regardless of their possible classification, are considered primarily as carriers of weapons, most likely nuclear ones. However, in the works of researchers from around the world there are theses that "hypersound", like nuclear technology, may well be peaceful.

The point is the emergence of affordable and reliable solutions that allow organizing the mass production of machines of the appropriate type. The use of such devices is possible in the widest range of branches of economic development. The greatest demand for hypersonic aircrafts are likely to be found in the space and research industries.

As the cost of manufacturing technologies for the corresponding machines becomes cheaper, transport businesses may begin to show interest in investing in such projects. Industrial corporations, providers of various services may begin to consider "hypersound" as a tool to increase the competitiveness of business in terms of organizing international communications.