Stratolaunch's Roc, the world's largest heavylift air launch aircraft, is accelerating toward initial hypersonic test operations after starting flight trials of the payload pylon for carrying and launching the in-house developed Talon-A flying testbed. Repurposed from its original goal of air-launching medium-class space launch vehicles, the 385-ft.-wingspan carrier aircraft is now aimed squarely at a widely perceived gap in U.S. high-speed test capability. Powered by six engines, the Roc's immense lifting capability is designed to provide hypersonic developers with routine access to what the company describes as a virtual wind tunnel in the sky. While Roc's gargantuan proportions inevitably steal the headlines, the focus within Stratolaunch is progressively shifting with each test flight toward the ultimate aim of the program-deployment of the rocket-powered, reusable Talon-A test vehicle. Designed to carry customized test payloads at speeds above Mach 5, the sharply swept, autonomous testbed is expected to make its first flight this year and enter service as an evaluation asset for government and industry in 2023.
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