The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Purdue University a $5.9 million contract to develop the world’s first Mach 8 quiet wind tunnel.
The new device will be capable of operating at eight times the speed of sound. It will be experimental and designed to collect information at speeds greater than Mach 6 wind tunnels, which operate at a rate six times the speed of sound.
Purdue will collaborate with the University of Notre Dame to develop the new wind tunnel, which will allow Purdue and various contractors and private companies to conduct tests in an environment similar to flight.
The Mach 8 quiet wind tunnel likely will be built near Zucrow Laboratories in the Aerospace District, a university-affiliated aerospace business hub for companies to collaborate on research and commerce, according to a Purdue announcement of the grant.