SR-72
Production Company: Lockheed Martin
Feature: Hypersonic UAV
EST. Cost of Production: $1 billion* (Project Cost)
The Lockheed Martin SR-72, often known as the Son of Blackbird, is a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle. This is currently a concept, but it will become a reality soon enough, since the manufacturer expects the SR-72 to fly (at least in test vehicle form) by 2025. UAVs are designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence gathering. The SR-72 is a semi-successor of the SR-71 Blackbird, which was decommissioned by the USAF in 1998. For a while, there was a void for aircraft such as the Blackbirds. In November of 2018, the military manufacturer said that, in addition to its other capabilities, the SR-72 would be able to fire hypersonic missiles.
SR 72
Skylon
Production Company: Reaction Engines Limited
Feature: Single-Stage-to-Orbit Spaceplane
EST. Cost of Production: $12 billion* (Project Cost)
The Skylon is not a single aircraft, but rather a collection of concept concepts from Reaction Engines Limited, a British firm. The Skylon is a one-stage-to-orbit spaceplane powered by an air-breathing, combined-cycle rocket propulsion system. Skylon will essentially be a super-fast, hydrogen-powered airplane. The jet will be able to take off from a specially constructed runway at an altitude of 85,000 feet, accelerating to Mach 5.4. Skylon, on the other hand, has hit a snag since it is quite pricey. The developers estimate that the project will cost $12 billion. Only a small portion of those funds had been secured as of 2017.
Skylon
