The DART AE is a 3.5 m long single-use hypersonic vehicle powered by a SPARTAN scramjet engine that, according to developer Hypersonix, has a top speed of Mach 7 and a range of 1,000 km. (Hypersonix Launch Systems)
Australian firms Hypersonix Launch Systems and Nominal Systems signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 15 November to develop digital twin technologies for Hypersonix's new hypersonic vehicle.
Under the agreement the companies will develop the ‘Hyper Twin X TM', a digital twin concept that will support the development of the DART AE, a hydrogen-fuelled, scramjet technology demonstrator. Nominal Systems is based in Canberra and specialises in digital twin products and services.
Hypersonix said the digital twin demonstrator will act as a 1:1 virtual representation of real-world characteristics in terms of geometry, performance, behaviour, and condition. “Hypersonix and Nominal Systems are not just building a digital twin of the [DART AE] but also of the atmospheric environment that it operates in,” the company said in a press release.
The company told Janes on 18 November, “We are currently building the concept demonstrator with Nominal Systems so we can seek out and work with early adopter customers.”
“Work on Hyper Twin X will start in early 2024 and our first advanced prototype is targeted to align with the first flight launch of DART AE with US Defense Innovation Unit at the end of 2024. Our initial intent is to stream flight data into the Hyper Twin X to validate and compare virtual to real. This will then become the framework for training battle management systems and testing new hypersonic mission concepts virtually, both ours and others,” Hypersonix added.
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