Record-Breaking Achievement’ – US Air Force Successfully Performed The Fastest Hypersonic Sled Recovery Test

The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) 846th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, announced on June 2 that it was able to successfully recover a reusable rocket sled after traveling at a recorded speed of 6,400 feet per second (7022.6 kmph), or just about Mach 5.8 — beyond the hypersonic threshold, during a test in late March 2022.

The reusable rocket sled will provide critical data for hypersonic weapons development, said the USAF. A rocket sled is a test platform that slides along a set of rails propelled by rockets.