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British engineers unveiled plans Tuesday for a hypersonic jet which
could fly from Europe to Australia in less than five hours.
The A2 plane, designed by engineering company
Reaction Engines based in Oxfordshire, southern England, could carry
300 passengers at a top speed of almost 4,000 mph (6,400 kmh), five
times the speed of sound.
The LAPCAT (Long-Term Advanced Propulsion
Concepts and Technologies) project, backed by the European Space
Agency, could see the plane operating within 25 years, the firm's
boss Alan Bond told the Guardian daily.
"The A2 is designed to leave Brussels
international airport, fly quietly and subsonically out into the
north Atlantic at mach 0.9 before reaching mach 5 across the North
Pole and heading over the Pacific to Australia," he said.
The plane, which at 143 metres (169 feet) long
would be about twice the size of the biggest current jets, could fly
non-stop for up to 12,500 miles (20,000 km).
It operates on liquid hydrogen, which is more
ecologically friendly as it gives off water and nitrous oxide
instead of carbon emissions.
Passengers would have to put up with having no
windows, due to problems with heat produced at high speeds. Instead
designers may put flat screen televisions where the windows would
be, giving the impression of seeing outside.
Fares would be comparable with current first
class tickets on standard flights, of around 3,500 pounds (4,700
euros, 6,900 dollars).
The flight time from Brussels to Australia would
be four hours and 40 minutes. "It sounds incredible by today's
standards but I don't see why future generations can't make day
trips to Australasia," he said.
"Our work shows that it is possible
technically; now it's up to the world to decide if it wants
it."
 --AFP
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