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DARPA Unveils Details About the Mach 6 Vulcan Engine
Posted by Sean Fallon at 8:20 AM on June 26, 2008
How does one design a propulsion system that combines a full-scale turbine engine and a Constant Volume Combustion (CVC) engine that is capable of delivering 12,000 pounds of payload up to 9,000 nautical miles from the continental United States in less than two hours? DARPA has released new details on how they plan on tackling this issue with their Vulcan engine--a ramjet / scramjet hybrid that will take an aircraft like the Falcon HTV-3X from 0 to Mach 4 with a traditional turbine engine, then kick in the CVC to push it to Mach 6 and beyond.
Obviously, that would streamline a process that currently requires a second aircraft to take the plane up to the supersonic speeds necessary to engage a CVC "scramjet" engine. Like all of DARPAs projects, the Vulcan engine is definitely an ambitious undertaking--and the 2012 date they set to have a working prototype doesn't help matters. Check out Aviation Week for more technical details on Vulcan. [Aviationweek via Crave via DVICE]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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icelight
Posted 9:21 AM 26/6/08
Read through the DARPA announcement/BAA. It looks ambitious, certainly, although I think you're misquoting it a bit. The real development project is only for the Mach 0-4+ part of the engine. The CVC portion of the engine is actually designed to operate in the Mach 2-4+ range, with the ability to provide a small amount of thrust even lower than that. It would in theory be used on a full range scramjet, but the project explicitly states that that is not something they are trying to achieve with the proposal in question. On the other hand, it's still has a number of technological hurdles it would overcome, but if someone was going to be able to do it, I'd certainly be willing to back DARPA.
icelight
adamator
Posted 9:19 AM 26/6/08
^^^^ That is a lot of damn typos. :(
adamator
adamator
Posted 9:18 AM 26/6/08
The ramjet to scramjet handoff is pretty sweet... But how does it get to an airseed where theramjet will work right? Would an air turbo ramjet be incompatible with the scramjet phase? Maybe solid fule rockets or something since they said they don't want to use a secondary aircraft.
adamator
Rick36
Posted 9:03 AM 26/6/08
Yeah, but can it do the Vulcan Mind meld?
Rick36
damnElantra
Posted 8:43 AM 26/6/08
@Seni: well done :)
damnElantra
damnElantra
Posted 8:42 AM 26/6/08
DARPAs got a pritty hip music collection
damnElantra
Seni
Posted 8:40 AM 26/6/08
For those not in the know, this was developed to counteract the anti-air capabilities of the Chinese EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle.
Based on a Guangdong Mobile Corp (GMC) motorized home-base, the EM-50 carried a cannon, machine guns, flame throwers, missiles, and all manner of infantry weapons. It also featured hideaway armor plating which would cover the windows and other vulnerable points when going into combat. It also featured a fully equipped communications and navigation suite. Designed to prowl urban areas without attracting attention, the EM-50 could quickly deploy its weapons before an enemy knew it was there or realized what it was.
Seni
carnegiesMellons
Posted 8:32 AM 26/6/08
I'd ram that jet!
carnegiesMellons
ripfire
Posted 8:27 AM 26/6/08
So is this Project Aurora?
ripfire
TBM-Fan
Posted 10:22 AM 26/6/08
no project aurora was a manned aircraft
but uhmm why is it unmanned, well cause i love scramjets
TBM-Fan
yuriythebest
Posted 10:22 AM 26/6/08
wait this thing is not space-ready? what's the point then?
yuriythebest
kangaroo
Posted 10:32 AM 26/6/08
*yawn* Definitely not Aurora. I dare that thing to hover over Belgium. Plus, it lacks all the pretty pretty lights.
kangaroo
92BuickLeSabre
Posted 11:07 AM 26/6/08
Really? That's pretty bold for a country that can barely figure out how to form a federal government.
92BuickLeSabre
red
Posted 1:32 PM 26/6/08
@92BuickLeSabre: 90's sightings, old boy
red
92BuickLeSabre
Posted 2:49 PM 26/6/08
@red: For the record, had I gotten the reference I still would have made fun of Belgium.
92BuickLeSabre
N@tedog
Posted 11:20 PM 26/6/08
They've gone to PLAID!
N@tedog
Fierock
Posted 2:22 AM 27/6/08
@ripfire: I think this is a diversion to throw us off the path of Aurora. The feds are like: "well let's give them this tidbit so they think we are still moving forward even though combustion engines are so far behind us, Just don't mention the anti-gravity drives that can do mach5,10,15 etc. with nearly unlimited payloads instantaneous acceleration that doesn't crush the crew who are protected in an isolated gravity sinkhole"
Fierock