I'm very excited to learn that Stratolaunch has used its monster "Roc" carrier aircraft to launch two successful hypersonic flights of its Talon A2 unmanned aircraft, at least one exceeding mach 5.
I've been lucky to see the Roc three times close up, twice on its own, and again with an earlier version of the Talon hanging under the center wing.
Attached photos are mine.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/stratolaunch-successfully-flies-a-modern-replacement-for-the-x-15-rocket-plane/
#space #stratolaunch #hypersonic #aviationResearch #testflight #mojaveairandspaceport #aviation