Between the 2035 and the 2040, a new hypersonic spy plane could carry out missions around the globe. It will have a key feature: it will fly six times the speed of sound.
The new unmanned spy plane, dubbed SR-72, has long been under development at the 'Skunk Works' division, which takes care of Lockheed Martin's advanced programs.
It will be the successor to the famous SR-71 that the Air Force has used for decades, but retired from service nearly twenty years ago.
A hypersonic aircraft, armed with missiles (hypersonic), could penetrate any enemy airspace on the planet in less than an hour. Speed - according to Lockheed Martin - is the next technology frontier to counter emerging threats in the coming decades.
The aircraft should reach those dizzying speeds thanks to a new engine designed in partnership with Aerojet Rocketdyne.
The two companies worked for seven years on the "breathing engines" called Scramjet.
The SR-72 could take years to complete. The first prototype could fly within the 2023. Stealth capacity would no longer seem to be required in the future.
In the 2040, it will only import speed. Pure speed.
Franco Iacch
(above a preview of the SR-72, below the famous SR-71 - source Lockheed Martin)
