Test Scramjet aircraft at 8,000km / h

The researchers tested a supersonic jet with an ambition to fly up to 8,000 km / g in Australia on March 25.

This $ 1.42 million project was opened by researchers at the University of Queensland in a remote area of ​​Woomera, 500km north of Adelaide. Aircraft Supersonic Combustion Ramjet - scramjet - manufactured by British firm QinetiQ.

Scramjet is attached to a rocket and is launched at an altitude of 314km during a 10-minute flight. Allan Paul, the head of the project, said it was too early to say if the missile had achieved an expected speed of 8,000km / g, but was optimistic about the test. Some observers say Scramjet's technique can revolutionize space travel.

The US has conducted an experiment with Scramjet, while the European Union, Japan, China, Russia and India have different testing stages for their technology. Allan Paul said passenger aircraft using Scramjet engines still have a long way to go, but they can be used in the next 10 years for limited purposes, such as delivering important agencies in the emergency transplant surgery.

Currently, the fastest speed conventional aircraft can achieve is Mach 3.2 - or 3.2 times the speed of sound - made by US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird aircraft.

CONFIDENTIAL