The U.S. air force is designing an air tunnel that will allow to analyze flights made at hisonic speeds, 15 times higher than sound speed. It is estimated that it will exceed 18,000 km/h and will be used to analyze the behavior of aerodynamic structures at that speed (high-speed aircraft, missiles, etc. ). ).
To overcome temperature problems, high pressure and average temperature will be used to introduce air into the tunnel. Subsequently, a high-energy electron beam (100 MW) will provide more energy to the air and accelerate it. The speed obtained will depend on the amount of gas energy.