This paper presents a lower risk alternative to traditional single step flight programs to achieve air breathing propulsion powered hypersonic unassisted flight without the need for carrier aircraft or booster rockets. This two step approach is based on incremental flight test envelope expansion using an X-plane powered by a turbine based combined cycle (TBCC) engine with a turbine engine and a dual mode ramjet (DMRJ), an engine that can operate as a ramjet or scramjet, both burning hydrocarbon fuel. The Two Step Vehicle (TSV) X-plane would be designed to be modified and flight tested in two discrete steps. For the first step, the TSV would integrate and flight test an off-the-shelf turbine engine with a surrogate DMRJ in the TBCC flowpath. The second step would refine the DMRJ design based on the first step flight and propulsion test data, ground test the updated DMRJ design, and integrate the final DMRJ configuration with the turbine engine for a complete TBCC engine flight test. The TSV X-plane would pave the way for design and development of air breathing propulsion hypersonic air vehicles for near-term flight demonstrations and enable future military applications such as prompt global ISR and strike and commercial applications such as two-stage-to-orbit for space access.
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