Australian aerospace company wins contract to build hypersonic test aircraft for US

Asia-Pacific, News, US March 20, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The United States Department of Defense has chosen an Australian aerospace company, Hypersonix Launch Systems, to build its high-speed vehicle. The aircraft would be used to test hypersonic technologies.

Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit published a notice in September 2022, seeking proposals from commercial industries for a hypersonic test vehicle to be used for its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities, or HyCAT project. Without releasing the total values of the contract, Pentagon confirmed that Defense Innovation Unit selected Hypersonix, an Australian startup, from a list of 63 international respondents.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s spending on the development of hypersonic technologies is about to reach $15 billion by 2024. The investment is spread across 70 different programs that the Pentagon is running in the realm of hypersonic technologies. Most of these programs are in their initial stages and lab research, however, some programs have started the testing phase. Hypersonic technology can be applied in weapons developed as well as for high-speed cargo transportation, space mission, and airlift applications.

Australian company Hypersonix’s high-speed aircraft named DART AE would be employed for Pentagon’s HyCAT project in order to test components, sensors, and control systems for the U.S. Air Force. The DART AE hypersonic aircraft uses a hydrogen-fueled scramjet engine that can attain speeds as high as Mach 7.

According to Hypersonix, the DART AE is a three-meter-long, single-use, high-temperature alloy scramjet technology demonstrator. The aircraft is still under development and it is scheduled for its first flight in early 2024. The HyCAT project is expected to begin its testing phase in 12 to 18 months.

*^{Blueprint of Hypersonix Launch Systems’ DART AE Multi-mission Hypersonic Drone Technology Demonstrator. (Image Credit: Hypersonix)}*

Managing Director of Hypersonix Launch Systems, David Waterhouse, described DART AE to be the ideal vehicle for the HyCAT project. He said that “Our vehicles are capable of non-ballistic flight patterns to at least Mach 7, which exceeds the HyCAT specifications.”

Waterhouse added that “This is our first major contract and a key step in our commercialization process, we could not be happier. This puts Australia one step closer to being a major player in the international space race.”

Hypersonix was originally formed in 2019 to cater to the needs of the emerging commercial space market and to utilize hypersonic technology for space launch and satellite deployment. Australia’s Federal Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources has supported Hypersonix with several grants, making it a global leader in scramjet research and production technology development.

Apart from Hypersonix, the U.S. Department of Defense is also considering awarding another HyCAT contract to a California-based firm called Fenix Space. The company builds a reusable launch system that would improve the efficiency and affordability of high-cadence hypersonic test flights.