The first X-51A scramjet engine demonstrator vehicle, shown here, arrived at Edwards AFB, Calif., June 25, 2009. It is a static test unit that will be used in ground testing starting July 6, 2009, in preparation for the first X-51A flight test that is slated for late October 2009 off of the southern California coast. The X-51A is an Air Force Research Lab-led effort to demonstrate air breathing hypersonic propulsion using a supersonic combustion ramjet.
Air Force photo by Mike Cassidy