World’s fastest flying machine goes up for auction

A London auction which specialises in the sale of classic cars is to sell the world’s fastest machine – a Nasa rocket capable of 4,310mph.

The Kholod Hypersonic rocket system was the result of a £60m project to develop a superfast machine combining the now-how of Nasa with the Russian Institute for New Propellants. Fuelled by cryogenically cooled liquid hydrogen the Kholod scramjet was completed in the early 1990s and in November 27, 1991, it was tested in Kazakhstan.

It reached an altitude of 20 miles and travelled at over six times the speed of sound at 4,310mph, twice the speed of the fastest ever aircraft, the amazing Blackbird SR-71.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Between 1991 and 2001, the HFL Kholod held the world record for outright atmospheric speed.

In total, nine Kholod rockets were built between 1991 and 1998. Five were destroyed during tests, while the other four survived.

One now resides in a private collection in the Middle East and two are in Kazakhstan.

The other ended up in the Czech Republic and is to be sold by RM Auctions in September.

Related topics: