Current largest aircraft in the world, Stratolaunch Roc performs 5th flight
Stratolaunch performed on Wednesday the 5th flight of the Roc, currently the largest aircraft in the world. The massive six-engine, two-fuselage plane took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port to remain in the air for nearly 5 hours.
The test debuted a new pylon installed on the central wing of the aircraft and which will be used to transport the Talon-A hypersonic unmanned vehicles.
"The hardware is comprised of a mini-wing and that is constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber skins", explained the company.
The Talon A is a rocket-propelled, air-launched vehicle. It will be used as a testbed for technologies and equipment needed for hypersonic flights above Mach 5.
Stratolaunch is building two of these vehicles in addition to the TA-2, a fully reusable variant. The company's goal is to start commercial service of the launch pad in 2023.
New largest flying aircraft in the world
The Roc, a nickname that was made official by the company, inherited the title of largest flying aircraft in the world after the destruction of the Antonov An-225 in Ukraine by invading Russian forces.
Although it broke the all-time record for the largest wing span aircraft (385ft/117m), the Model 351 (designer Scaled Composites) has a maximum take-off weight of 590 tons, 50 tons less than the Mriya.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
