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Haverstick Completes Successful Launch of Scramjet Engine
Experimental Jet Engine Tested at Speeds Greater Than 6,800 Miles per Hour
| Source: Haverstick Consulting, Inc.
CARMEL, IN--(Marketwire - June 27, 2007) - Haverstick Consulting, Inc. today
announced that its Rocket Support Services (RSS) subsidiary has completed a
successful launch of an experimental scramjet engine on a relatively
low-cost sounding rocket in the outback of Australia. The engine was tested
at a speed approaching 10 times the speed of sound, or more than 6,800
miles per hour. The scramjet engine was developed by Australia's Defense
Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) and the University of
Queensland, and was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA). RSS, which worked under contract to DSTO and with support
from the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center detachment at White Sands
Missile Range, provided the launch vehicle and launch services for the
project. By using a sounding rocket, RSS was able to boost the scramjet
engine to hypersonic speeds for less than one-tenth the cost of previous
similar experiments.
A scramjet engine is an air-breathing, supersonic combustion ram jet engine
that is the next generation of jet propulsion technology with applications
in both the commercial aviation and defense industries. Scramjets have the
potential to enable the development of commercial aircraft that can travel
at hypersonic speeds, greatly reducing the travel time between continents
to only a few hours.
"Everyone at DARPA and DSTO was pleased by the results of the launch, and
we feel that we took a giant leap forward in demonstrating the ability to
conduct extremely sophisticated technology experiments using low-cost
launch vehicles," said George Baker, managing director of RSS. "The RSS
team played a critical role by providing a successful launch, and the
results certainly speak volumes for the capabilities of our people and
organization. We look forward to continuing to work with DARPA, DSTO and
other agencies engaged in the development of scramjet technology."
"While the experiment data is still being evaluated by DSTO, early reports
suggest that the scramjet engine test was very successful," said Howard
Bates, president and chief executive officer for Haverstick Consulting. "The
difficulty of this project was beyond anything that RSS has worked on in
the past, yet the RSS team literally scrambled around the world to ensure
its success. Adding to the difficulty was that we were simultaneously
involved in the launching of another rocket in Hawaii in an unrelated test,
which also proved successful. This was the first time in company history
that we had two rocket launches going off at nearly the same time, and the
achievement is a true compliment to the knowledge, expertise and
determination of our RSS team."
About Haverstick
Haverstick Consulting, Inc., based in Carmel, Ind., offers technology and
business consulting services that help its clients build their
organizations by delivering measurable improvements to the public and
private sector. DTI Associates' Rocket Support Services, based in
Arlington, Va., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Haverstick and provides
rocket development, flight test, payload support, system development,
payload integration, and launch operations to a wide range of national and
international government customers, including the U.S. Navy and NASA. For
more information, visit www.haverstickinc.com and www.dtiassociates.com.