Scramjet Could Make Two Hour Flight From Sydney To London A
Reality
Scientists from
Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) and
the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
successfully launched one of the world's fastest air-breathing
engine experiments in the Australian outback Friday.
The scramjet engine experiment reached speeds of up to Mach 10
-- ten times the speed of sound. Scramjets are air-breathing
supersonic combustion ramjet engines that could make it possible
for a two hour flight from Sydney to London, according to the
DSTO.
"This research is a major boost to Australian and international
scramjet technology research," said Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Defense, Peter Lindsay. "Today's flight rocketed to an
altitude of 530km, and reached Mach 10 during re-entry. Australia
is a world leader in hypersonics research."
"Scramjet research has taken place in Australia for over three
decades. We have active research programs in niche technologies of
scramjet propulsion as well as guidance and control at hypersonic
speeds," he added
The flight took place at the Woomera Test Facility in South
Australia. Testing also represented the research collaborators in
the Australian Hypersonics Initiative (AHI).
"This test has obtained the first ever flight data on the
inward-turning scramjet engine design," said Dr. Steven Walker,
Deputy Director of the Tactical Technology Office at DARPA. "DARPA
will compare this flight data to ground test data measured on the
same engine configuration in the US."
"We are pleased with this joint effort between the U.S. and
Australia and believe that a hypersonic airplane could be a reality
in the not too distant future."
DSTO scientist Dr. Warren Harch said hypersonic propulsion using
supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) technology offered the
possibility of very high speeds and fuel efficiencies.
"This technology has the potential to put numerous defense and
civilian aerospace applications within our reach during the next
couple of decades," Dr Harch said.
Hypersonics is the study of velocities greater than Mach 5 and
could have a significant impact on defense as well as on
international transport and future access to space, according to
the DTSO.
Future defense applications for hypersonic vehicles include
long-range time critical missions, with civilian applications
including low-cost satellite launching and high-speed aircraft.
Harch said DSTO's
scientific contributions to the research program had been the
computer modeling of the combustion processes, non-linear
mechanics, guidance and control, and trajectory analysis.
"Assisting with telemetry collection is another important area,
which presents quite a challenge when working with a vehicle
traveling at hypersonic speeds," Dr Harch said.
In November last year DSTO signed the $74 million Hypersonics
International Flight Research Experimentation (HiFire) Agreement
with the United States Air Force.
Up to 10 hypersonic flight experiments are planned to occur at
Woomera over the next five years under the agreement.
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