London to New York in 35 minutes: Successful hypersonic Mach 7 engine test brings high-speed air travel a massive step closer to reality

  • Nasa and Australian researchers are developing HiFiRE technology
  • HiFiRE is made up of a scramjet engine attached to a rocket booster
  • Experimental engine was tested in a flight in Woomera in Australia
  • It reached an altitude of 172 miles and hit a target speed of Mach 7.5

A 35-minute flight from London to New York is a step closer to reality following the latest successful test of hypersonic technology.

A joint US-Australian military research team sent a scramjet attached to a rocket booster to an altitude of 172 miles (278km) at Mach 7.5 - or seven times the speed of sound.

Today's test is one of 10 trials of the technology being run at the world's largest land testing range, Woomera in South Australia, and at Norway's Andoya Rocket Range.

While military bosses have refused to reveal details of the tests carried out as part of the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HiFIRE) programme, a previous trst (pictured) was able to send a scramjet attached to a rocket booster to an altitude of 172 miles (278km) with a top speed of Mach 7.5

A joint US-Australian military research team is running 10 trials at the world's largest land testing range, Woomera in South Australia, and at Norway's Andoya Rocket Range. Today, the team were able to send a scramjet attached to a rocket booster to an altitude of 172 miles (278km) with a top speed of Mach 7.5

WHAT IS SCRAMJET PROPULSION?

Scramjets are 'airbreathing' aircraft because rather than carrying both fuel and the oxygen needed to provide acceleration, they carry only hydrogen fuel and 'pull' the oxygen needed to burn it from the atmosphere.

Air is forced into the front of the engine and as hydrogen is injected into the airstream, the gases are compressed causing the temperature to rise and ignition to occur.

This generates huge amounts of thrust and enables the jet to travel at speeds far in excess of the 1,350mph top speed of Concorde. 

Mach 7.5 classes it as 'hypersonic travel', which is defined as travel at more than five times the speed of sound.

'It is a game-changing technology...and could revolutionise global air travel, providing cost-effective access to space,' Australia's chief scientist Alex Zelinsky said in a statement. 

Scientists have said hypersonic technology could cut travelling times drastically. 

For instance, a trip from Sydney to London could be done in two hours for the 10,500 miles (17,000 km) flight.

And the 3460 mile (5571km) trip from London to New York could take just 35 minutes.   

Engineers involved in the programme - called Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) - eventually want the engine to run at Mach 7 or 5370mph.

Michael Smart a hypersonics expert from the University of Queensland said the scramjet was a supersonic combustion engine that uses oxygen from the atmosphere for fuel, making it lighter and faster than fuel-carrying rockets.

He said: 'The practical application of that is you could fly long distances over the Earth very, very quickly but also that it's very useful as an alternative to a rocket for putting satellites into space.' 

There are a number of new supersonic technologies in development. Nasa recently announced it was attempting to build new quiet supersonic technology as part of its X-plane division that could be available in 2020 (Nasa's Quiet Supersonic Technology pictured)

RACE FOR HYPERSONIC TRAVEL

Scramjets have been under development for decades, but a breakthrough came in May 2013 when the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific.

It flew on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and ran until its fuel was exhausted.

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - then unveiled plans to develop a successor, dubbed the SR-72, pictured.

Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing.

Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030.

Mach 2.5 is about the speed limit for gas-turbine engines.

Any faster and the temperature and pressure of air entering the engine is too high for the turbo machinery inside.

To fly at hypersonic speed - Mach 5 and above - requires a different type of engine such as a supersonic-combustion ramjet, or scramjet.

These engines have no moving parts.

Instead of the rotating compressor and turbine in a jet engine, air is compressed and expanded by complex systems of shockwaves under the front of the aircraft, inside the inlet and under the fuselage at the rear.

Travel becomes hypersonic when temperatures get so hot that air molecules become unstable and begin losing electrons. At these speeds the air becomes an electrically-charged field.

At supersonic speeds, air moves through a series of channels until is slowed down to a point where fuel can be more easily injected and ignited. This releases energy and thrust.

At hypersonic speed, this air moves even faster, which makes it difficult to slow down to the speed of sound and therefore requires specialist fuel and technologies, as seen in engines including the pulse detonation engine (PDE). 

The X-planes were a celebrated part of post-war aviation, helping Nasa break the sound barrier. Now, the space agency is planning to revive its historic 'X-plane' division to make commercial flights dramatically cleaner, quieter, and even faster. Pictured are some of the concept aircraft

Scramjets, however, have been under development for decades.

A breakthrough came in May 2013 when the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific,

It flew on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and ran until its fuel was exhausted.

Today's test was used to measure heat on the outside of a vehicle in hypersonic flight, Smart said.

The next test, scheduled for 2017, would involve the scramjet engine separating from the rocket booster and flying on its own, he added.

The first test was conducted in 2009 with the project expected to be completed in 2018.

Lockheed Martin has also recently said it's close to making a breakthrough to developing a military plane that can fly at Mach 6 ¿ six times the speed of sound. In November 2013, the firm announced it was developing an SR-72 spy plane (illustrated) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6

Lockheed Martin has also recently said it's close to making a breakthrough to developing a military plane that can fly at Mach 6 – six times the speed of sound. In November 2013, the firm announced it was developing an SR-72 spy plane (illustrated) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6

The latest project, which also involves aerospace giant Boeing, Nasa and German space agency DLR, is one of a number attempting to introduce new supersonic passenger aircraft. 

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - has unveiled plans to develop a successor to the WaveRider, dubbed the SR-72.

Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing.

Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030. 

Nasa also recently revived its 'X-plane' project with a new supersonic jet design it hopes could one day replace passenger jets.

The engineer behind the Skreemr jet has unveiled another radical, much faster design for future air travel. Charles Bombadier latest concept jet is capable of reaching Mach 24 - more than twice the speed of the Skreemr and 12 times faster than Concorde

The engineer behind the Skreemr jet has unveiled another radical, much faster design for future air travel. Charles Bombadier latest concept jet is capable of reaching Mach 24 - more than twice the speed of the Skreemr and 12 times faster than Concorde

The project is the first in a series of 'X-planes' in NASA's New Aviation Horizons initiative.

A concept aircraft named Skreemr is also being developed and could reach speeds exceeding Mach 10.

The engineer behind the Skreemr jet has also unveiled another radical, much faster design for future air travel.

Charles Bombardier latest concept jet is capable of reaching Mach 24 - more than twice the speed of the Skreemr and 12 times faster than Concorde.

Dubbed the 'Antipode', it can carry 10 people up to 12,430 miles (20,000km) in under an hour, allowing it to travel from London to New York in just 11 minutes.  

THE ICON THAT FLEW FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK IN 3.5 HOURS

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. 

It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft.

Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued flying for the next 27 years. 

The aircraft is regarded by many as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel, but it was also criticized for being uneconomical, lacking a credible market, and consuming more fuel to carry fewer passengers than a Boeing 747.

It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. 

The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran for a much shorter period of time before it was grounded and retired due to safety and budget issues.

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflects the cooperation on the project between the United Kingdom and France. 

In the UK, any or all of the type are known simply as 'Concorde', without an article. 

Twenty aircraft were built including six prototypes and development aircraft.

Air France (AF) and British Airways (BA) each received seven aircraft. The research and development failed to make a profit and the two airlines bought the aircraft at a huge discount.

Among other destinations, Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York-JFK, Washington Dulles and Barbados.

It flew these routes in less than half the time of other airliners. 

Over time, the aircraft became profitable when it found a customer base willing to pay for flights on what was for most of its career the fastest commercial airliner in the world.

The aircraft is regarded by many as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel, but it was also criticized for being uneconomical, lacking a credible market, and consuming more fuel to carry fewer passengers than a Boeing 747.

Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after the type's only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.