re: doesn't look like net thrust to me
From this MSNBC article:
Engineers said the scramjet cruised after the separation, neither gaining nor losing speed during its operation.
To me, that sounds like thrust and drag were pretty much equal, no? If this is true, then it isn't great news, but it's not a total bummer. Scramjets below mach 10 might still be useful. What I'd really like to see is the development of robust & reusable jet / ramjet-powered first stages, which could take a rocket up to mach 5 or so. That'd be a lot easier and more useful than trying to stretch the bleeding edge to mach 10 or beyond.