**Abstract**

This chapter introduces new approach of hypersonic flow generation and experimental study of hypersonic flows over cones with half- angles <sup>τ</sup>1=3◦ and <sup>τ</sup>2 = 12◦. Mach number of the of the incident flow was M1 = 18. Visualization of the flow structure was made by the schlieren method. Straight Foucault knife was located in the focal plane of the receiving part of a shadow device. Registration of shadow patterns was carried out using high- speed camera Photron Fastcam (300 000 fps) with an exposure time of 1 μs. The Mach number on the cone was calculated from inclination angle of shock wave in the shadowgraph.

**Keywords:** hypersonic conic flows, light-gas magnetoplasma launcher, photometric shadow method
