This unmanned X-51 WaveRider hypersonic flight test vehicle is expected to reach Mach 6, or about 3,600 M.P.H., on Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force/Chad Bellay)
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -
(AP) - The Air Force planned a key test
Tuesday of an experimental aircraft designed to fly at six times the
speed of sound, or about 3,600 mph.
The unmanned X-51 WaveRider
was expected to reach Mach 6 after it's dropped by a B-52 bomber and
takes flight off the Southern California coast near Point Mugu.
Engineers hoped the X-51 would sustain its top speed for five minutes, twice as long as it's gone before.
The B-52 took to the skies
Tuesday, but no other information about the test flight was available,
John Haire, a spokesman for Edwards Air Force Base in California, said
in an email.
Last year, in its most
recent test, the X-51 fell for about four seconds before its booster
rocket ignited, but the aircraft failed to separate from the rocket and
plunged into the ocean.
Designed by Boeing Co., the aircraft is intended to allow the Pentagon to deliver strikes around the globe within minutes.
Saturday, May 18 2013 5:09 PM EDT2013-05-18 21:09:49 GMT
Neighbors in Waterville are shocked and afraid after a deadly home invasion early Saturday morning.34-year-old James Safadi was shot in his Waterville Township home and three suspects are still on the
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Saturday, May 18 2013 5:22 PM EDT2013-05-18 21:22:38 GMT
Firefighters are investigating just what caused a garage fire in Springfield Township on Saturday.The fire broke out in the 700 block of Hammersmith Circle. No one was injured and the fire was contained
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) - The State Highway Patrol says nearly 20 vehicles crashed in a pileup on Interstate 70 in western Ohio, closing a portion of the highway's eastbound lanes for about four hours. A
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Saturday, May 18 2013 3:53 PM EDT2013-05-18 19:53:01 GMT
CLEVELAND (AP) - Cleveland has landed another Hollywood film shoot and it could mean delays for motorists. The city warned drivers to be aware of staggered street closings beginning Saturday through June
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Friday, May 17 2013 11:06 PM EDT2013-05-18 03:06:39 GMT
The woman charged with shaking and injuring her infant son was back in court Friday, and angry protestors were there to greet her. Residents gathered outside the Wood County Common Pleas Court wearing
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Saturday, May 18 2013 5:08 PM EDT2013-05-18 21:08:01 GMT
BOSTON (AP) - Federal prosecutors say they'll ask for more time to indict Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.Prosecutors said Friday they will not indict Tsranaev within the 30-day period
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Saturday, May 18 2013 3:44 PM EDT2013-05-18 19:44:12 GMT
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - It's a big day in northeast Ohio for a hometown guy who made it big in Hollywood. Actor Ed O'Neill of TV's "Modern Family" will receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree at Saturday's
Actor Ed O'Neill of TV's "Modern Family" will receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree at Saturday's spring commencement at Youngstown State University.
Saturday, May 18 2013 3:40 PM EDT2013-05-18 19:40:29 GMT
MOSCOW (AP) - Wrestling's governing body hopes rule changes designed to make matches more exciting and easier to understand will get the sport back in the Olympics. The federation, known by the acronym
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This unmanned X-51 WaveRider hypersonic flight test vehicle is expected to reach Mach 6, or about 3,600 M.P.H., on Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force/Chad Bellay)
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