Editing NASA X-43 (section)

{{Short description|Unmanned US experimental hypersonic aircraft, 1991-2000}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = X-43
 |image = File:X-43A.jpg<!-- in the ''File:filename'' format with no image tags.  In-flight images are preferred for aircraft. -->
 |caption = [[Pegasus rocket]] booster accelerating NASA's X-43A (dark object mounted on nose) shortly after ignition during test flight (March 2, 2004)
 |alt = <!-- Alt text for main image -->
 |type = Experimental hypersonic UAV
 |national_origin = United States
 |manufacturer = 
 |design_group = [[NASA]]<!--Only design group(s) different from the manufacturer -->
 |designer = <!-- Only appropriate for one-person designers, not project leaders or chief designers -->
 |builder = {{ubli|Micro Craft (airframe) | [[General Applied Science Laboratory|GASL]] (engine)}}
 |first_flight = <!--If this hasn't happened, skip this field! -->
 |introduction = <!--Date the aircraft entered or will enter military or revenue service -->
 |retired = <!--Date the aircraft left service. If vague or more than a few dates, skip this. -->
 |status = <!--In most cases, redundant; use sparingly-->
 |primary_user = [[NASA]]<!-- List only one user; for military aircraft, this is a nation or a service arm. Please DON'T add flag templates, as they limit horizontal space. -->
 |more_users = <!-- Limited to THREE (3) "more users" here (4 total users).  List users with {{plainlist}} or {{unbulleted list}}. -->
 |produced = <!--Years in production (e.g. 1970–1999) if still in active use but no longer built -->
 |number_built = 3<!-- Total number of flight-worthy aircraft completed. -->
 |developed_from = <!--The aircraft which formed the basis for this aircraft-->
 |variants = <!--Variants OF this aircraft-->
 |developed_into = <!--For derivative aircraft based on this aircraft-->
}}

The '''NASA X-43''' was an [[experimental aircraft|experimental]] [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|unmanned]] [[hypersonic]] [[aircraft]] with multiple planned [[scale (spatial)|scale]] variations meant to test various aspects of [[hypersonic flight]]. It was part of the [[X-plane (aircraft)|X-plane]] series and specifically of [[NASA]]'s '''Hyper-X''' program developed in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aftc.af.mil/News/On-This-Day-in-Test-History/Article-Display-Test-History/Article/2554297/april-28-2001-the-first-captive-carry-flight-nasas-x-43a-hypersonic-research-ve/ | title=April 28, 2001: The First Captive-Carry Flight NASA's X-43A Hypersonic Research Vehicle | date=28 April 2021 }}</ref> It set several [[flight airspeed record|airspeed records]] for [[jet aircraft]]. The X-43 is the fastest jet-powered aircraft on record at approximately [[Mach number|Mach]]&nbsp;9.6.<ref name=Thompson>Thompson, Elvia, Keith Henry and Leslie Williams. [http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jun/HQ_05_156_X43A_Guinness.html "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: Guinness Recognizes NASA Scramjet."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730032800/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jun/HQ_05_156_X43A_Guinness.html |date=2021-07-30 }} ''[[NASA]].'' Retrieved: August 1, 2011.</ref>

A winged [[booster rocket]] with the X-43 placed on top, called a "stack", was [[drop launch]]ed from a [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]]. After the booster rocket (a modified first stage of the [[Pegasus (rocket)|Pegasus rocket]]) brought the stack to the target speed and altitude, it was discarded, and the X-43 flew free using its own engine, a [[scramjet]].

The first plane in the series, the X-43A, was a single-use vehicle, of which three were built. The first X-43A was destroyed after malfunctioning in flight in 2001. Each of the other two flew successfully in 2004, setting speed records, with the scramjets operating for approximately 10 seconds followed by 10-minute glides and intentional crashes into the ocean. Plans for more planes in the X-43 series have been suspended or cancelled, and replaced by the [[United States Air Force|USAF]] managed [[Boeing X-51 Waverider|X-51]] program.