High-speed flight testing

Starfighters Unveils High-Speed ‘Wind Tunnel In The Sky’ Test Unit

Starfighters Space completed its first Wind Tunnel in the Sky flight hardware, advancing a reusable underwing test platform for its F-104 supersonic aircraft. Manufactured with Robby Moto Engineering, the components form two modular flight articles measuring 3.65 metres long and 178 millimetres in diameter. Interchangeable noses, tails, fins and internal payload sections are intended to support different customer experiments during sustained Mach 2-plus flight in real atmospheric conditions. Following assembly in Florida, the hardware requires ground handling, aircraft-integration testing and captive-carry evaluations before customer missions, so completion of the equipment does not represent completed flight qualification.