Lockheed Martin has begun work on a successor to the supersonic Blackbird SR-71 spy plane.
The unmanned SR-72 will use an engine that combines a turbine and a ramjet to reach its top speed of Mach 6 - about 3,600mph (5,800km/h).
Like its predecessor, the SR-72 will be designed for high-altitude surveillance but might also be fitted with weapons to strike targets.
Lockheed said the aircraft should be operational by 2030.
Jet engines
The SR-72 is being developed at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works R&D centre in California that designed and built the original Blackbird.
That aircraft first flew in 1964 and was a mainstay of US Air Force spying and surveillance work until 1998. It typically flew at altitudes of 24,000m (80,000ft) and could reach speeds of Mach 3.
In a blogpost about the SR-72, Lockheed Martin said the aircraft would operate at similar altitudes but would fly far faster. At Mach 6 the plane could travel the 3,500 miles (5,500km) from New York to London in less than an hour.
While spy satellites can photograph enemy territory, the relatively long time it takes for them to be moved to a new orbit so they pass over a target can limit their usefulness.
By contrast, wrote Lockheed Martin, the SR-72 "would be so fast, an adversary would have no time to react or hide".
For the SR-72, Lockheed Martin is drawing on work done on the Falcon HTV-2 hypersonic technology vehicle. This is a test-bed for the futuristic technologies needed to support safe hypersonic flight and cope with the extreme conditions encountered by any object flying at such a speed.
For instance, on one test flight of the HTV-2, the aircraft hit a top speed of Mach 20 and its flight surfaces reached 1,927C (3,500F).
To reach Mach 6, the SR-72 will use an engine that acts like a normal jet turbine until speeds of Mach 3 are reached but which then operates like a ramjet to accelerate beyond that.
"Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades," said Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin's hypersonic programme manager on the blog. "The technology would be a game-changer in theatre, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today."
据英国广播公司等媒体11月4日报道,美国国防工业巨头洛克希德已经着手打造将以六倍音速飞行的新一代无人侦察机“黑鸟之子”——SR-71“黑鸟”间谍飞机的下一代。
洛克希德表示,第二代“黑鸟”将于2030年投入使用,以速度而非隐形能力取胜。与其前任一样,SR-72间谍机既能用于高空侦查和监视,也能装配其他武器用于打击目标。
60年代初,在U-2侦察机在苏联上空被地对空导弹击落后,洛克希德开始研制第一代“黑鸟”。1976年,美国空军飞行员驾驶“黑鸟”不到两个小时便从纽约飞抵伦敦,飞行速度超过3马赫,创下世界纪录。
第一代“黑鸟”直到1998年一直为美国空军侦查和监视行动的中坚力量。它能翱翔在2.4万米的高空,飞行速度达到3马赫。不仅比地对空导弹飞的更快,“黑鸟”还可以通过低空飞行规避敌方雷达。在建造的32架“黑鸟”侦察机中,12架因事故折戟沉沙,但无一架毁于敌军火力。
洛克希德·马丁强调,无人驾驶的新一代“黑鸟”继承上一代的飞行高度,但能飞得更快,最高速度可达6马赫“极超音速”,约为5,800公里/小时,为SR-71速度的两倍,堪称美军侦察和突袭奇兵。
“极超音速飞机,外加极超音速导弹,不用一小时即可打击任何跨大洲目标,”洛克希德·马丁公司高超声速经理布拉德·利兰说,“为应对未来数十年将产生的威胁与挑战,我们需要提高飞行速度。正如昨日的隐身技术改变今日的战场一样,今日的技术变革将改变明日的战场规则。”
间谍卫星虽然也能拍摄敌方领土,但由于需要花较长时间将他们移入新轨道以监视整个目标,因此间谍卫星的使用常常受限。SR-72间谍机则不同,其飞行速度之快,以致于敌人没有时间反应或躲藏。
上一篇: 肥胖可能导致女生早熟
Indian state introduces 'fat tax' 印度一省拟征收“脂肪税”
Antibiotics and escalator etiquette 美国人过多使用抗生素,伦敦地铁扶梯礼仪
Alligator takes boy and Tate Modern extension 鳄鱼拖走小男孩,泰特现代美术馆扩建完工
Drought in Ethiopia and MS treatment 埃塞俄比亚干旱,多发性硬化治疗手段新进展
Russian athletes and friendly robots 俄罗斯运动员服用兴奋剂,“合作机器人”
Mars bars and baby gorilla 火星巧克力棒和大猩猩产幼子
Artefacts in Sydney and dog gets medal 悉尼出土文物,英雄狗获奖章
Test the water 试探,摸底
Glass-bottomed bridge, cancer risk for HRT and 120-year-old man 世界最长玻璃桥开放,荷尔蒙替代疗法增患癌风险,印度教120岁僧人
Axe to grind 别有用心
There's method to my madness 我有一个不合常理的办法
India's sewer workers and British school standards 印度下水道工人施工安全,英国在校生学习成绩下降
Cosmonaut anniversary and wallaby internet star 宇航员周年纪念日,小袋鼠轰动互联网
Zika threat and back from space 寨卡病毒威胁美国,国际空间站宇航员返回地球
California wildfires and cloned animals 加利福尼亚州野火,克隆动物衰老过程正常
Cyclists make Olympic history, 400-year-old shark 英国自行车运动员创英奥运历史,400岁格陵兰鲨鱼
Big Ben and gorilla surprise 维修大本钟,大猩猩生子
To turn something upside down 把……翻个底朝天
Cyborg beetle and the teenage brain 半机械甲虫,青少年脑部发育
In good nick 品质好、没有损坏
Zuma in court and stressed horses 南非总统受审和马的精神压力
A bitter pill to swallow 不得不吞的苦药
Earth-like planet, Pink cockatoo dies at 83 类地行星,83岁风头鹦鹉逝世
Diabetes warning and Queen at 90 糖尿病激增引忧, 英国女王90岁生日
A recipe for disaster 后患无穷
Zika virus and the A4 waist challenge 寨卡病毒,“A4腰挑战”
Cheap and cheerful 物美价廉
Crash course 速成课
Hot potato 棘手的问题“烫手山芋”
Delhi's pollution and South Africa's solar power 新德里环境污染,南非发展太阳能