Researchers conducted a test flight in the Australian Outback on Saturday of a supersonic jet intended to travel at speeds of up to 8 000kph. The $1,42-million project was launched by researchers at the University of Queensland in the remote community of Woomera, about 500km north of the South Australian state capital, Adelaide.
The so-called Supersonic Combustion Ramjet — or scramjet — engine was developed by British company QinetiQ. It was attached to a rocket and launched to an altitude of 314km during its 10 minute flight, according to a statement from the
University of Queensland.
Programme leader Allan Paul said it was too early to tell if the rocket had reached its intended speed of up to 8 000kph, but was optimistic about the launch.
”It looks good. We got data all the way,” he said.
Some observers say scramjet technologies could revolutionise air travel.
The United States has already carried out a flight test with a scramjet engine, while the Europe Union, Japan, China, Russia and India are in different stages of testing their technologies.
Paul said scramjet-powered passenger jets are still a long way off, but it might be possible to use a scramjet-powered plane within the next 10 years for limited purposes, such as delivering vital organs for urgent transplant operations.
Currently, the fastest that a conventional aircraft can fly is Mach 3,2, or 3,2 times the speed of sound, achieved by the US Air Force’s SR-71 Blackbird. – Sapa-AP