The X-51A Waverider is mounted under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in preparation of its Aug. 14, 2012, test flight. On a previous flight, the X-51A flew for more than three minutes at Mach 4.88 under scramjet power. (Courtesy photo)
The B-52 Stratofortress carrying the X-51A Waverider takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in preparation for the Aug. 14, 2012, test flight. The test ended prematurely when a fault with a control fin caused the vehicle to lose control. (Courtesy photo)
8/16/2012 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- The X-51A Waverider successfully launched from a B-52 Stratofortress over Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif., Aug. 14, 2012, at approximately 11:36 a.m. PDT.
The X-51 safely separated from the B-52 and the rocket booster fired as planned. However, after 16 seconds, a fault was identified with one of the cruiser control fins. Once the X-51 separated from the rocket booster, approximately 15 seconds later, the cruiser was not able to maintain control due to the faulty control fin and was lost.
"It is unfortunate that a problem with this subsystem caused a termination before we could light the scramjet engine," said Charlie Brink, X-51A program manager for Air Force Research Laboratory. "All our data showed we had created the right conditions for engine ignition and we were very hopeful to meet our test objectives."
This particular control subsystem had proven reliable in the previous two flights of the X-51A, including the historic May 2010 flight when the Waverider flew for more than three minutes at Mach 4.88 under scramjet power -- nearly five times the speed of sound.
Program officials will now begin the process of working through a rigorous evaluation to determine the exact cause of all factors at play.
One of the four X-51A vehicles remains. AFRL officials have not decided when or if that vehicle will fly at this time.
Comments
9/10/2012 7:22:39 PM ET I hope testing resumes soon what fantastic technology to be investing and developing. JP7 fuelled scramjet will no doubt be powering commercial aircraft at some point in our future and it'll happen sooner if this missile is successfulAs per the criticism of the journalism It's not spin at all. It's clear and to the point without any misrepresentation.Perhaps some people are just too used to reading hyped up sensationalist junk
Dave C, UK
8/22/2012 3:02:02 AM ET It looks like Republic's XF-103 from the 1950s. This prototype was ahead of its time amazing it took this long to develop something similiar.
MSgt Starks, Ramstein AB
8/21/2012 10:05:04 AM ET Spinning from the spin- The X-51A is not a plane. I do agree that it is a bit silly not to say that the demonstrator crashed but I do not agree with your insulting the author. The test community has certain verbiage they use during an incomplete test to delineate what worked and what did not. There is no need to insult the author for using the standard verbiage.
Analyst, USAFA
8/20/2012 12:12:18 PM ET I can't believe the amount of spin on this. If the plane crashed say it crashed. The writer needs to go back to jounalism school or at least enter politics. Whatever happened to calling it what it is. Do they think we are ignorant We've gotten so addicted to our own positive press that we don't know how to report a failure. Even the first sentence shows that by saying it was successfully launched.
Spinning from the spin, US
8/17/2012 9:54:40 AM ET X-51A flight ends prematurely is quite an adventure in creative writing. Considering the premature end of the flight the end of the Hindenburg could probably have been described the same way.
