Notre Dame opens first-ever Mach 10 quiet wind tunnel for hypersonics testing
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame opened the doors to a new Mach 10 quiet wind tunnel Saturday, a first-of-its-kind facility that adds to the Defense Department’s capacity to research and test hypersonic capabilities.
Hosted by the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory, the 3,000-square-foot lab space is home to a quiet wind tunnel able to simulate hypersonic flight at speeds up to Mach 10 — or 10 times the speed of sound. The Navy served as the funding agency for the tunnel’s fabrication, with Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane acting as the contract monitor, and future operations will be funded through research grants and contracts.
DefenseScoop received an exclusive first look at the new facility, which is designed for both fundamental hypersonic research and programmatic testing for the government and industry. The wind tunnel is expected to help the Pentagon address gaps in hypersonics research, testing and workforce development.
“Hypersonic flight represents unique challenges and opportunities, and these facilities are vital to our test and evaluation efforts, enabling us to stipulate and study the extreme conditions that hypersonic vehicles will encounter,” Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady said during the ribbon cutting ceremony at the University of Notre Dame.
