Stratolaunch, U.S. Air Force Research Lab Announce Contract

The agreement between the company behind the aircraft with the world's largest wingspan and the R&D arm of the Air Force calls for the first flight test of a hypersonic test vehicle.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 04:17 PM ET

Verified

Stratolaunch’s Roc, the world’s largest airplane by wingspan, now includes a new pylon on its center wing. [Courtesy: Stratolaunch]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has contracted Stratolaunch for the first flight test of its Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle.
The test will feature Stratolaunch's *Roc*, the world's largest aircraft, launching the reusable, rocket-powered Talon-A (TA-3) vehicle, capable of carrying experiments and flying various hypersonic profiles.
Stratolaunch highlights that the reusability of its system is key to increasing the cadence of hypersonic testing, reducing development costs, schedules, and risks.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has entered into a contract with Stratolaunch, the company behind the aircraft with the world’s largest wingspan, to support the first flight test of a hypersonic test vehicle.

The test will involve Stratolaunch’s second reusable Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle, TA-3, which will be launched by Roc, the world’s largest aircraft. The Talon-A vehicles are rocket powered and able to fly a variety of hypersonic flight profiles while carrying payload experiments on board, the company said.