Air-breathing jet flies at 5,000mph

Electronic Telegraph ^ | 17/08/2002 | Roger Highfield, Science Editor

[aculeus]

Aviation has entered the era of the hypersonic jet after an air-breathing engine exceeded 5,000mph.

The "hypersonic ignition" by the scramjet is one of the most important milestones in aviation since the sound barrier was broken in 1947. The technology could slash the cost of launching satellites, which rely on huge supplies of oxygen on board.

It also raises the possibility that, one day, passenger aircraft could fly from London to Sydney in a few hours.

The first detailed analysis of data from the launch last month in Australia shows that the scramjet, which has no moving parts, had reached 7.6 times the speed of sound (Mach 7.6). Hypersonic travel starts at Mach 5.

Rather than carry onboard oxygen to burn hydrogen fuel, a scramjet engine scoops up and compresses oxygen as it travels through the atmosphere, cutting launch costs considerably.

The initiative by the University of Queensland, backed by an international consortium that includes QinetiQ in Britain, involved the world's first flight test of an air-breathing ramjet engine, also known as a scramjet, on July 30.

After analysing data from the test, the project leader, Dr Allan Paull, of the University of Queensland's "HyShot" programme, announced yesterday: "Our honest understanding from preliminary data is that the experiment worked. We'll now be submitting the results to international peer review."

The test of the air-breathing engine capable of speeds in excess of Mach 5 was the first time engineers had made a scramjet work in flight, outside an air tunnel.

Last month, a Terrier Orion Mk70 rocket fitted with the scramjet had been launched from Woomera, a former British rocket testing range in the south Australian desert, to an altitude of nearly 200 miles. It was allowed to plunge back to Earth.

The scramjet was supposed to kick into action on the way back down 22 miles above Earth, with data transmitted by radio until it began to burn up at about 12 miles up. This ignition took place within the last few seconds of the 10-minute flight.

Then the team faced a nail-biting wait for the telemetry officers to come in from the dust with their precious data, before analysis could begin.

The ground-breaking Australian experiment, which cost about £500,000, came after a failed test a year ago of Nasa's multi-million dollar, unmanned X-43A scramjet prototype and a previous failed launch by the HyShot crew.

The HyShot scramjet has previously worked in a wind tunnel test, where the Mach 5 speeds at which it operates could be simulated.

Dr Paull said that he was negotiating with various groups to conduct a £30 million programme of six flights over five years, leading to a free flying scramjet engine.

Prof John Hay, Vice-Chancellor of University of Queensland, said: "Dr Paull has received approaches from top Australian researchers based in Nasa, Boeing and other organisations keen to return to Australia to work on the HyShot program if suitable funding is available."

[RightWhale]

sheer mass and momentum are very destructive

That is the truth. Other threads on FR have dealt with the power of asteroid impact on planet earth. No explosives, just kinetic energy.

Kinetic weapons do very well. Sabot rounds from anti-tank cannon are very high speed and rely on their speed alone to destroy tanks. High speed missiles simply dropped from aircraft can penetrate several feet of concrete or rock with explosive force. Several strikes have been effectively made against Iraqi anti-air emplacements using concrete bombs and no explosives at all.

If the military can devise uses for this, they may need no explosives at all when the technology has been further developed. Speeds will be far higher than what guns can generate. Energy and power increase with the square of speed. Double the speed, 4X the energy. It will be hard to find an explosive warhead that can compete, or even survive to complete its mission in that environment.

[capitan_refugio]

When I began to read this post, "Aurora" occurred to me too. As I shake the cobwebs out of my memory, I recall "Aurora" has been described as having a "throbbing" or "pulsing" low-pitched noise. Do you think this fits the scramjet? I also recall "Aurora" was the suspect in some very interesting atmospheric P-wave signatures on several of the USGS/Cal Tech seismographic nets.

[jwh_Denver]

"Aurora" was the suspect in some very interesting atmospheric P-wave signatures on several of the USGS/Cal Tech seismographic nets.

On that I have no doubts! LOL!

On the sound? I really don't know. When I saw the Aurora on the front page of Popular Science I had to buy it (years ago), and they said "tearing of metal". It is a pulse jett or throbbing. IMO the sound would be high pitched simply because the combustion is going on outside the plane. And I would expect it to be LOUD. Matter of fact, I wonder if the Aurora has to piggy back on another plane to get up enough speed where the wind drafts would enable the external combustion. But then again there might be something the USAF genuises at Dreamland thought up for the plane to take off at low speeds, I don't know. Interesting dilemma.

[ExSES]

On the sound? I really don't know. When I saw the Aurora on the front page of Popular Science I had to buy it (years ago), and they said "tearing of metal". It is a pulse jett or throbbing. IMO the sound would be high pitched simply because the combustion is going on outside the plane. And I would expect it to be LOUD.

Seems to me that I remember the German V-1 "Buzz Bombs" were powered by Ram Jet engines which "Pulsed" thus making a buzzing sound. There were no turbines employed in these engines. They were, however, sub-sonic in speed and many were even shot down by the RAF (though usually when they had run out of fuel and were in a gliding mode).

[JavaTheHutt]

Does this mean that we can make the jump into hyperspace without a Wookie?

Possibly, but you need to remember, traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops. Without precise calculations you could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it? Additionally, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1, so even with hyperspace capability, it'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer.

[capitan_refugio]

Remember that a P-wave is basically a compressional wave that can be propogated in solids or fluids, and is essentially a sound wave. Earthquake give off P-waves (they are the "first arrivals") as well as shear waves and other waveforms. Sonic booms caused by aircraft, or the space shuttle, give off characteristic P-wave signatures. However the "skyquake" readings over southern California suggested that the origin was at altitude and was headed from southwest to northeast, in the general direction of Groom Lake. There were several of these anomalies, usually on Thursday morning about 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., and a few at odd times and dates.

[Pagey]

"The first detailed analysis of data from the launch last month in Australia shows that the scramjet, which has no moving parts, had reached 7.6 times the speed of sound (Mach 7.6). Hypersonic travel starts at Mach 5".

I love reading things like this.5000 MPH to start.How will a human survive that blast off, or is this strictly a non-human piece of machinery?

[jwh_Denver]

"P-wave is basically a compressional wave"

Thanks for the info on P-waves, I didn't know this.

For 10 years the AF did not allow the Blackbird SR-71 to take off or land during any light. Just a picture of it would away great aerodynamic design details. So I figure the AF will doing some odd things with the Aurora just so nobody will get a good picture of it.

I wonder how high the Aurora was when they got these P-wave signatures? The Blackbird could get 120,000 feet so I think the Aurora would at least do that and more. I would find it hard to believe that the Aurora at 120k feet would make any trackable footprint that would give away it's prescence.

It's logical guess away time!

[jwh_Denver]

What's Australian for "hypersonic scramjet"?

A corncobbed turpentined kangaroo's arse.

[jwh_Denver]

I predict it is going to be a very long time before this is translated into a practical aircraft of any kind.

The USAF has had a working scram jet for at least 5 years called the Aurora. Remember when the AF retired the Blackbird? Why? They had a better recon plane to replace it. I'm sure the AF loves the Aussies getting the attention they are as it diverts peoples attention elswhere. The AF is kind of persnickerdy about their secret aircraft.

[ASA Vet]

SR-71 to take off or land during any light

Right, and I didn't see either of
them take off at night from Kadena in 1967.
I also didn't see the B-52's parked there with their bomb bay doors closed.
The USAF guards with M-60's on jeeps weren't there either.

(In my best Sgt. Schultz voice) "I saw nothing."

[jwh_Denver]

Allright, you at the wrong place at the wrong time. Too bad for you.

(In my best Sgt. Schultz voice) "I saw nothing."

That's the way the USAF likes it. zip, nota, nuttin!

[capitan_refugio]

I suppose someone could try triangluation calculations from multiple seismic stations to find the "hypocenter" of the evvent. It would be just the opposite of calculating the location of an earthquake's hypocenter (the point inside the earth, below the epicenter, when the earthquake hypothetically begins). I remember the analysis that was done was based on the timing of first arrivals at various stations, showing a clear progression from west to east toward Nevada. I don't have the records, but they may be publically available from the USGS.

[Plutarch]

All jets are "air-breathing". That is why they are not rockets.

[jwh_Denver]

from west to east toward Nevada.

That makes sense because the base is probably in Area 51 in Nevada. Unless they call it something different now because they had to move it further north cause there were all kinds of spies living in the area. Some were writers of Aviation Magazine which I've heard is the best mag for what the USAF is up to.

Now if there is a pattern of west to east it would be great if there could line up 3 stations to triangulate how high and possibly speed. Chances are the Aurora would slowing down at that point.

I seriously doubt there would be any public record of a secret aircraft. And I would think the AF would lean heavily on any triangluation results. With the Blackbird they lied how fast it would go. They said 2+ Mach. My brother had talked to some air traffic controllers at O'Hara
and they had them on radar doing 9 Mach. I don't believe anything about the speed on any aircraft the AF gives out.

[capitan_refugio]

I think "Area 51" is part of the Groom Lake complex, but I don't have the aluminum foil over my head, so my memories may be muddled by UFO rays! ;^)

[July 4th]

The likeliest use is a hypersonic cruise missile.

Yup. It's gonna be a looong time before anyone will ever want to step onto an aircraft with these things as propulsion. I'm sure there's still a little acceleration "problem" they need to work on too...

[PoorMuttly]

Muttly want scramjet.

Muttly NEED scramjet.

I forgot why...but it sounds really cool.

[RightWhale]

9 Mach

That would be impossible for a metal airframe inside the atmosphere. If the bird were flying above the atmosphere using some other kind of propulsion than what is provided inside the wings it might be possible, but the liftoff of the stack might be noticed by the general public.

[jwh_Denver]

liftoff of the stack

Could you explain this? TIA