Air Force Selects Pratt & Whitney and Boeing Team For the Scramjet Flight Demonstrator Program
Contact: Patrick Louden
Communications Manager,
Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion
(561)796-6793
patrick.louden@pw.utc.com
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2004)- A team consisting of Pratt & Whitney (P&W) and Boeing Phantom Works has been selected by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to flight test the Endothermically Fueled Scramjet Engine Flight Demonstrator (EFSEFD), also known as the Scramjet Engine Demonstrator - WaveRider (SED-WR). The first year contract, which is valued at $7.7M (total program value is estimated at approximately $140M), was awarded to the team to explore the airbreathing system-level potential of scramjets through multiple flight tests that will begin in the 2007-2008 time frame.
Each flight will consist of one P&W engine that is based on technology from the Hydrocarbon Scramjet Engine Technology (HySET) program and will be integrated by Boeing into an expendable WaveRider configured air vehicle. During the flight demonstrations, an SED-WR will be carried by a B-52 aircraft to an altitude of about 35,000 feet and released. Initially propelled by a solid rocket booster, the scramjet demonstrator take-over will occur at approximately Mach 4.5 where it then will accelerate to flight speed between Mach 6.0 to 7.0+.
"Taking this program to flight is an important step in strengthening the foundation for a variety of hypersonic programs and applications," P&W SED Program Manager Curtis Berger said. "We have gotten to this point by utilizing a System Engineered, building-block approach."
Last year, P&W under the direction of the AFRL, ground tested the world's first flight-weight, actively cooled, hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet engine. It used standard JP-7 fuel to both cool engine hardware and fuel the engine's combustor.
During numerous runs at Mach 4.5 and Mach 6.5 (September 2002 through June 2003), this ground demonstrator engine, known as GDE-1, reliably produced significant net positive thrust, which is important because it demonstrated the ability to efficiently burn fuel and accelerate a vehicle at these speeds. The thermal characteristics and structural durability of the engine were validated at both speeds.
"The SED-WR Program is a breakthrough opportunity for the future of practical hypersonic propulsion," said Billy Burroughs, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for SED-WR. "Like a 21st century Wright Flyer, the SED-WR flight demonstrator is a critical first step in validating scaleable-Scramjet propulsion technology."
Applications for this propulsion concept, derived from the Hypersonic Technology (HyTech) Program, include future access-to-space, global reach and fast-reaction, long-range unmanned and manned military systems. The AFRL's long-term vision for scramjet engines includes power for launch vehicles that can substantially reduce the cost of access to space and deliver aircraft-like operations. It also foresees applications for military and commercial aircraft that can span the globe in less than a few hours, and hypersonic missiles with Mach 6.5-plus-cruise capability that can fly hundreds of nautical miles in minutes.
"The AFRL has selected a team that is very dedicated to the success of this program and will work closely with them to ensure that the SED meets its objectives," Berger said. "We are really looking forward to the day the SED takes flight."
P&W Space Propulsion, a leader in liquid, solid, electric and hypersonic propulsion, has sites located at West Palm Beach, Fla. and San Jose, Calif. P&W, www.pw.utc.com, a United Technologies company (NYSE: UTX), is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.
Boeing Phantom Works is the advanced research and development unit and a catalyst of innovation for The Boeing Company. It provides advanced solutions and innovative, breakthrough technologies that reduce cycle time and cost while improving the quality and performance of aerospace products and services.
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