Warplanes: May 18, 2002

Archives

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has given contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to work on a quiet supersonic aircraft. This technology could eventually feed into the B-X bomber project, intended to produce a new strategic aircraft that would enter service in 2037 and be able to strike targets anywhere in the world. The B-X is to take off at 100,000 pounds (of which 20,000 pounds would be the bomb load) and cruise at Mach-2. It would be able to fly 6,000 nautical miles without refueling. (The Concorde airliner takes off at 400,000 pounds and can cruise at Mach-2 for 3,550 miles; only 28,000 pounds of its takeoff weight is "payload".)--Stephen V Cole

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close