Overview

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is uniquely positioned to offer a variety of liquid-fueled propulsion system concepts for hypersonic flight. At the heart of these systems is a dual-mode scramjet, allowing the engine to function as a subsonic combustion ramjet at low supersonic speeds (Mach 3-5) and as a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) at high supersonic speeds (greater than Mach 5).

With its long history in the development of hypersonic engines, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is considered to be the leader in fuel-cooled hydrocarbon technology. We are currently developing a wide range of hypersonic propulsion system technologies applicable to aircraft and missiles, including high speed weapons, hypersonic cruise vehicles with rapid global reach for reconnaissance and strike missions, and concepts that will provide enhanced access to space.

On May 26, 2010, the X-51A WaveRider hypersonic vehicle, powered by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's scramjet engine, achieved aviation history by making the longest-ever supersonic combustion ramjet-powered flight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characteristics

Scramjet Engine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News

Related Information

Videos

 

Photos

 

PDFs

• Hypersonics Product Card
• How a Scramjet Works
• X-51A First Flight Press Kit

 

Downloads

• Scramjet Engine Operation
  .wmv (8.5MB) | .mov (broadcast quality, zipped - 64MB)
  (Right click and select "Save Target As" to download.)
• X-51A Mission Animation
  .wmv (19MB) | .mov (broadcast quality, zipped - 200MB)
  (Right click and select "Save Target As" to download.)
• PWR Propulsion Systems

Contact Information

Sales & Marketing Contact

Customer, industry and partner information
info@pwr.utc.com

 

Media Contact

Carri Karuhn
818-586-4963
carri.karuhn@pwr.utc.com

 

Additional Information

Click here to request additional information about Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne