Reaction EnginesA new hyper-sonic plane capable of travelling from the UK to anywhere in the world in just four hours is set to make international travel a lot easier for us all.
The secret to the plane’s staggering speed is a new turbine, designed by Oxfordshire-based Reaction Engines, called SABRE which combines rocket and jet technologies allowing it to achieve speeds of 4,000 mph.
The new design was possible thanks to the European Space Agency who invested a whopping $11 million towards the project and, according to Reaction Engines, the first model could be ready for testing by 2020, The Daily Mail reports.
Reaction EnginesThe SABRE engine allows the plane to travel at five times the speed of sound, that’s almost twice as fast as the Concorde, which would cut a journey from London to Australia to just four hours.
A BAE Systems spokesman said:
Once the technology is mature – in around 25 years – we aim to develop airliners capable of more than twice the speed of Concorde.
Reaction Engines have been working on this incredible engine for the last 20 years and its founder believes it could change our lives into ‘something from science fiction’.
Reaction EnginesThe design also has the potential to revolutionise space travel, allowing humanity to cheaply launch cargo into orbit without the need for multi-stage rockets.
This is pretty awesome, although I imagine the sonic boom the jet creates would make living under a flight path a nightmare…
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.