US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

S

SlothmanAllen

Junior Member
Registered Member
Confirmation that Stratolaunch has conducted two hypersonic flights of its Talon-A reusable drone over the last ~5 months. The drone was launched from the Roc carrier aircraft, flew to speeds above Mach 5 and then landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch in December 2024 was rumoured, but there was never a confirmation of a successful launch or landing.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


EDIT: They really should release some footage of the flight. Would be cool to see.
 
Last edited:
S

SlothmanAllen

Junior Member
Registered Member
SlothmanAllen said:
Confirmation that Stratolaunch has conducted two hypersonic flights of its Talon-A reusable drone over the last ~5 months. The drone was launched from the Roc carrier aircraft, flew to speeds above Mach 5 and then landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch in December 2024 was rumoured, but there was never a confirmation of a successful launch or landing.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


EDIT: They really should release some footage of the flight. Would be cool to see.
Click to expand...

Just adding some important information that Aviation Week provided in their article on the test flights and future of the program.

Stratolaunch also is nearing completion of a second Talon vehicle, TA-3, and is modifying a
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
747-400 into a carrier platform under a U.S. Missile Defense Agency contract. When its two Talons and both the 747 and its existing Roc air launch aircraft become available from 2026 onward, Stratolaunch ultimately aims to fly up to 24 missions per year. TA-3 is expected to make its first flight later this year while parts for a third Talon, TA-4, are in production. Assembly of that vehicle is due to begin later in 2025.
Click to expand...

So they are aiming for 24 test flights per year using the Roc carrier aircraft and a modified 747. This seems like an ambitious program for hypersonic testing. They also have a third drone in construction (TA-4) which will start assembly later on this year.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


One of the payloads carried on one of these test flights was an inertial navigation system from Northrop Grumman for precise navigation in GPS denied environments for hypersonic aircraft.

Northrop Grumman says an advanced inertial navigation device that could pave the way for precise hypersonic flight guidance in GPS-denied environments was successfully flown on Stratolaunch’s recently confirmed Talon-A Mach 5-plus test flights. Both flights, which occurred in...
Click to expand...

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
Last edited:
S

SlothmanAllen

Junior Member
Registered Member
US Special Operations Future Combatant Craft Medium Mk 2 have hidden 8 cell drone launchers on them.

combatant-craft-medium.jpg


mpe-launcher-images.jpg


He confirmed today that the ALTIUS-700 is the munition that has been and continues to be used in live-fire testing of the prototype system, with another test launch scheduled to occur this month, in response to direct questions from TWZ Howard Altman.

The ALTIUS-700 is a larger and longer-ranged derivative of the
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
drone, originally developed by Area-I, which Anduril acquired in 2021. The ALTIUS-700 is a modular design that could be configured with additional sensors or other payloads, including electronic warfare and signal relay packages. When configured as a loitering munition, it carries a warhead that offers anti-armor and anti-structure capability, as you can read more about
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
.
Click to expand...

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top