The US Department of Defense has taken another step toward speeding up hypersonic technology testing by employing a commercial testbed built using additive manufacturing. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), under its HyCAT program, initiated the Cassowary V mission, during which the DART AE hypersonic demonstrator, constructed by the Australian firm Hypersonix, was evaluated. Rocket Lab conducted the launch, sending the craft into a suborbital trajectory using its HASTE launch vehicle, which had been specially adapted for hypersonic trials. During the flight, specialists successfully gathered operational data concerning the propulsion system, trajectory, and the vehicle’s behavior under actual hypersonic flight conditions. A defining feature of this mission was the utilization of the three-meter, expendable DART AE demonstrator, whose airframe was entirely fabricated through 3D printing using refractory alloys. The craft is equipped with a scramjet engine powered by gaseous hydrogen. The DIU emphasizes that this approach, which relies on engaging commercial entities and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, will broaden the supply chain for prototype hardware and substantially increase the frequency of hypersonic experimentation. According to Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Estep, DIU’s portfolio director for advanced technologies, access to commercial innovations is a critical enabler for advancing progress in the hypersonic domain, particularly regarding compressing timelines and ensuring the scalability and availability of these technologies. The HyCAT initiative was launched by the Pentagon in 2022 to address the shortfall in testing infrastructure. Developing hypersonic systems capable of exceeding Mach 5 and maneuvering in flight presents significant challenges due to the limited number of wind tunnels and tracks able to simulate the extreme loads and temperatures involved. Engaging commercial launch providers and utilizing 3D-printed vehicles, as demonstrated in Cassowary V, is intended to shorten development cycles and increase the volume of test launches. The telemetry acquired during this flight, as highlighted by Hypersonix co-founder Michael Smart, is invaluable for designing future hypersonic vehicles because real-world data gathered during actual hypersonic flight is irreplaceable.
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