The cockpit of a supersonic aircraft
According to the publication Aviation Week, the division of Lockheed Martin, responsible for secret development-Skunk Works, will soon begin testing a new classified aircraft called Speed Racer, the very existence of which is shrouded in a dense veil of secrecy.
Initially, Lockheed Martin announced it in September 2020, while Skunk Works did not disclose any details about the new car. Skunk Works ' track record includes several developed aircraft, including the DarkStar spy drone (which never went into production) and the RQ-170.
Speed Racer Machine
It is known that when creating Speed Racer, StarDrive digital engineering methods were actively used. This technology consists in using special software to create" digital doubles " of the aircraft at all stages-from design to real flight. With the help of a" digital double", engineers can predict how the device will fly, make adjustments and improve its design even before the start of flight tests. StarDrive reduces development time and costs. By comparison, the F-35 was built (without StarDrive) for two decades, while with the help of digital engineering, the Air Force secretly designed, built and tested a prototype of a new fighter in just a year. According to Skunk Works officials, the prototype of the new aircraft is already ready for ground tests, during which tests for reliability, vibration resistance and many others will be carried out. The next stage is full-fledged flight tests.
