Russia shelves hypersonic aircraft project

The work on the Russian aviation project of the hypersonic experimental aircraft, known for the Russian initials as GELA, has been shelved before 2014, RBC reports.

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According to sources at Rainbow design bureau and the Central Institute of AeroHydroDynamics, the works on the Russian hypersonic experimental aircraft (GELA), which were conducted in Dubna (a town near Moscow) were suspended at least before 2014, KM.ru said.

According to sources, designers failed to resolve a number of technical issues. In particular, the aircraft can not develop hypersonic speed. Officials with the bureau also added that the GELA project had not been relevant for ten years already.

The creation of a hypersonic aircraft is one of the goals, which Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the military and industrial complex, identified as important. In September of this year, Rogozin announced the creation of a "superholding" to build a hypersonic aircraft.

Rogozin has already refuted the rumors about the decision to shelve the project. The deputy prime minister tweeted a rhetorical question: "Think about it - is mankind ready to fly faster, higher and farther because of some technical problems?"

It is worthy of note that the United States refused from the project of piloted hypersonic aircraft in 2003 due to a very high cost of jet engines. The engines are necessary for the aircraft to develop a hypersonic speed. The US preferred to focus on drones instead.