The largest aircraft that humans have been able to manufacture continued successful experiments, and a few days ago it was able to fly for six hours continuously in the longest experiment on it so far, while the entry of this aircraft into service is expected to lead to a radical change in the tourism, travel and freight industry worldwide and forever. .
The new and innovative giant plane is characterized by its speed exceeding the speed of sound, its size is unprecedented and it is close to being a city plane in the air, and its shape is unprecedented in the world of aviation as well.
The British newspaper “Daily Mail” published a report seen by Al Arabiya.net, in which it said that the giant plane succeeded in the experiment that was conducted a few days ago in the skies of the United States, and was able to fly successfully for six hours continuously, then landed safely. And safely without facing any problems.
The newspaper said that the plane is the largest vehicle flying in the sky that humans have been able to manufacture so far, as it has two wings that are longer than a football field, and it was finally able to complete a new test flight that broke previous records following successfully flying for 6 hours.
The aircraft has a wingspan of 383 feet, and recently flew over the Mojave Desert in California, United States, in a 6-hour test flight, setting a new record.
The Stratolaunch Roc, or (Roc), conducted its second test flight while carrying the Talon-A separation test vehicle.
The Talon-A test vehicle is a 28-foot-tall reusable test aircraft that can carry payloads at five times the speed of sound.
The flight is an important step for the company’s progress toward “testing class” and the first hypersonic flight during the first half of 2023.
The test flight that took place a few days ago is the ninth flight of the giant plane, and the aim of this last experiment was to fly outside the local Mojave area for the first time and evaluate the separation environment.
“Our amazing team continues to make progress on the test schedule, and through their hard work we are closer than ever to the safe separation of the first hypersonic vehicle in flight tests,” said Zachary Crevor, CEO and President of Stratolaunch Corporation.
He added that the vehicle (Talon-A) is one of a series of rocket-powered (Talon) vehicles developed by Stratolaunch that can reach speeds of Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound.
The carrier aircraft (Roc) will now conduct a drop test of the prototype (Talon-A) over the Pacific Ocean next December, and if successful, the company aims to launch the first hypersonic aircraft of its kind.
Stratolaunch is also leading the way in manufacturing its first and second hypersonic vehicles that are fully reusable.
“A comprehensive assessment of launch conditions will provide data to reduce risks and ensure a clean and safe launch during future tests,” Crevor said. “We are excited regarding what lies ahead this year as we bring our online hypersonic flight test service to our customers and the nation.”
The Roc, which is the length of a football field from goal to goal, weighs nearly 500,000 pounds without any cargo, but can take off with a maximum weight of 1.3 million pounds.
The aircraft is driven by 28 wheels and once airborne is powered by six 747 engines.
The aircraft was developed by the company, which was founded in 2011, and co-founded the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Allen died at the age of 65 in October 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, less than a year before the Stratolaunch first flew.
