U.S. and Australia test hypersonic missile that could reach North Korea in 40 minutes

by Alex Hollings · July 21, 2017

United States and Australian defense officials conducted a joint test of a new missile platform capable of reaching hypersonic speeds earlier this month. The test featured the new HiFiRe Scramjet vehicle, which is said to be able to carry payloads at speeds in excess of six thousand miles per hour. A missile platform capable of such incredible speeds could allow for strikes on enemy targets with better reaction time than ever before.

The launch took place at Australia’s Woomera Test Range. Reports of a fireball in the night sky, high above the Australian outback poured in to local news outlets before Australian authorities announced the test. The HiFiRE program has undergone various tests since its inception in 2009, including some that included launching it using an S-30 rocket as its first stage.

About Alex Hollings

Alex Hollings writes on a breadth of subjects ranging from fitness to foreign policy, all presented through the lens of his experiences as a U.S. Marine, athlete and scholar. A football player, rugby player and fighter, Hollings has spent the better part of his adult life competing in some of the most physically demanding sports on the planet. Hollings possesses a master's degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University.

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Irene B
Great article Alex. A Chinese spy ship was spotted off the coast of Queensland during the Talisman Sabre war games joint military exercises between US and Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-22/chinese-navy-spy-ship-rattles-talisman-sabre-war-games-off-quee/8732944?smid=Page:%20ABC%20News-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf99877246=1
Micky M
Goog read Alex
Yankee Papa
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c38176c23063bb3db30a4e74405985ea6f8ce8d9f305848a89ad35633e2a6f6a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bb6cee4da1195facd272701bc1db042f234f89b031d546aa62a72eebc6a03abb.gif -Yankee Papa-
Logan M
I believe you have mixed SCRAMJET with RAMJET. You wrote "However, unlike ramjets, the HiFiRE and similar applications reduce the speed of the incoming air to subsonic speeds, allowing for great engine efficiency, and in turn, the ability to reach hypersonic speeds." It is actually the RAMJET that reduces the speed of the airflow to subsonic speeds through the engine. SCRAMJET maintains the high velocity throughout the engine and does not reduce the speed of the airflow. According to wikipedia: "As in ramjets, a scramjet relies on high vehicle speed to forcefully compress the incoming air before combustion (hence ramjet), but a ramjet decelerates the air to subsonic velocities before combustion, while airflow in a scramjet is supersonic throughout the entire engine."