Jan 5, 2024 · An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or "Hyper-X" in flight. NASA made aviation history with the first successful flights of a scramjet-powered …

The first plane in the series, the X-43A, was a single-use vehicle, of which three were built. The first X-43A was destroyed after malfunctioning in flight in 2001.

6 days ago · NASA’s X-43A scramjet hit Mach 9.6 in 2004. The short-lived program still explains why reusable hypersonic aircraft remain so hard—and so tempting.

Oct 2, 2025 · The X-43A was part of NASA’s Hyper-X program, conceived in the 1990s to demonstrate supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) propulsion at speeds ranging between …

Oct 15, 2025 · NASA's experimental X-43A didn't have a pilot and couldn't fly independently, but its blisteringly high speeds showed that hypersonic flight was possible.

4 days ago · Unmanned X-43A hypersonic research aircraft launched from NASA’s B-52B (under wing) in March of 2004 The Hypersonic Benchmark: Inside the X-43 Program The X-43 …

Key Points - NASA's X-43A hypersonic research vehicle, part of the "Hyper-X" program, still holds the world record for an air-breathing aircraft, achieving a speed of Mach 9.64 (6,363 mph)...

4 days ago · The NASA X-43 remains the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever flown and got close to Mach 10.

This paper provides an overview of the final flight of the NASA X-43A project. The project consisted of three flights, two planned for Mach 7 and one for Mach 10.

In 2004, NASA's X-43A scramjet made history by reaching the unprecedented speed of Mach 9.64. This hypersonic marvel showcased the potential of air-breathing propulsion technologies …