Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Completes Assembly of Flight Clearance Scramjet for the X-51A

Released on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 18, 2008 - Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has completed assembly of flight clearance engine SJX61-2 as part of the Scramjet Engine Demonstrator-WaveRider (SED-WR) Program. This engine configuration will power a record-setting test flight of the Boeing X-51A hypersonic vehicle next year. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) is a United Technologies Corp. [NYSE: UTX] company.

The SED-WR program is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), PWR and The Boeing Company to demonstrate hypersonic flight capability.

"The SJX61-2 scramjet will demonstrate a flightworthy configuration in ground tests, putting the X-51A team a step closer to flight," said Curtis Berger, PWR director of hypersonic programs.

"The upcoming set of tests to be conducted at NASA Langley Research Center on the SJX61-2 engine are critical steps to prepare the X-51 for flight in 2009. We will test a complete set of propulsion flight hardware: engine, controller, valves, fuel pump, ethylene start system, and instrumentation. We're excited to get started and move one step closer to flight," said Charlie Brink, X- 51A program manager, Air Force Research Laboratory.

The SJX61-2, also known as the X-2, is a hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet engine featuring X-51A flight hardware. This includes a Full Authority Digital Engine Control to orchestrate complex fuel controls and transitions and a closed-loop thermal management system in which JP-7 fuel both cools engine hardware and fuels the engine's combustor.

The X-2 engine was built at PWR's West Palm Beach, Fla., facility and will be tested at NASA Langley Research Center's eight-foot, high-temperature tunnel in Hampton, Va., in the summer. Tests will develop and verify the flight engine's start sequence and demonstrate performance and operability across the X-51A flight envelope.

The X-51A Flight Test Program plans to demonstrate the scramjet engine within the Mach 4.5 to 6.0+ range with four flight tests beginning in 2009. The program will set the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance-strike and global reach.