Exclusive: Stratolaunch buys Boeing 777 to boost hypersonic testing
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A conceptual look at the Boeing 777-200ER and Talon-A combo. Photo: Courtesy of Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch purchased a Boeing 777-200ER and plans to use it, after some modification, as a carrier for its Talon-A, a reusable, autonomous hypersonic aircraft, chief executive Zachary Krevor told Axios.
Why it matters: The addition of an upgraded 777 to the fleet increases Stratolaunch's flight capacity by about 35%. It also moves the aerospace company closer to being able to conduct multiple simultaneous hypersonic tests around the world.
- "Hypersonics are a national security priority," Krevor said. "You can look through history: Speed always wins."
Driving the news: Stratolaunch closed on the acquisition this month.
- The 777 will be based in Mojave, California, where the company is headquartered, but could be staged in different countries depending on demand.
The latest: The aircraft is "already in the detailing process," Krevor said. It will get a new paint job, and multiple pylon stations will be added to enable air launch of Talon-A and other systems. Work is expected to wrap next year.
- "With Talon-A, we use a custom release system. But with our targets program, we're using a very typical bomb ejector rack that's found on many fighter jets and bombers," Krevor said.
- "We don't touch the power plants, the avionics aspects," he added. "It flies like a normal 777; our aircrew has already got their 777 type rating."
Zoom out: Stratolaunch's fleet also features Roc, the world's largest fixed-wing aircraft by wingspan, and a Boeing 747 known as Spirit of Mojave.
Follow the money: The company is a key player in the Defense Department's Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) and counts the Air Force, Navy, Missile Defense Agency and NASA among its customers.
- The Pentagon has "stated they want 50 — five-zero — hypersonic flights on an annual basis, just for MACH-TB," Krevor said.
- "They want to fly, and they want to fly again."
What we're watching: An Atlantic Council study shared first with Axios last year found American sluggishness to develop and deploy hypersonic weapons, coupled with Russian and Chinese advances, was fostering a "battlefield asymmetry."
