The hypersonic concept jet that could travel from London to New York in two hours via SPACE

  • The Paradoxal aircraft would include a brief suborbital space flight on each trip
  • Would use an air-breathing engine which then converts to a rocket engine
  • Hundreds of passengers would sit in one large, theatre-like cabin with baggage and galleys at the back 
  • The experimental aircraft is still very much at concept phase though Nasa is actually testing hypersonic jets

A new hypersonic jet could ferry passengers from London to New York in just two hours, its designers claim.

On its flight, the Paradoxal aircraft would also include a short suborbital trip to space, enabling passengers to gaze down at the Earth and stars.

The experimental aircraft, which has a blended wing body similar to Nasa concept designs, is still very much at concept phase.

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A new hypersonic jet could ferry passengers from London to New York in just two hours, its designers claim. On its flight, the Paradoxal aircraft would also include a short suborbital trip to space, enabling passengers to gaze down at the Earth and stars

The designs were published on Canadian site Imaginactive, a hub for vehicle designers. 

While the Paradoxal's primary use would be super-fast travel, the passenger jet could also be developed for various other users by government agencies. 

'It can also be perceived as an aircraft that mixes space tourism with business travel,' said Juan Garcia Mansilla, an industrial designer based in Buenos Aires and the designer behind the jet.

The air-breathing engines would provide enough power to lift off, climb to 60,000 feet (18,000 metres), and reach a supersonic speed of Mach 3.

The velocity would means that the 7,585 mile (12,206 km) trip from Los Angeles to Sydney could be undertaken in less than 3 hours.

As well as being able to fly the 7,585 mile (12,206 km) trip from Los Angeles to Sydney in less than 3 hours, the jet would also offer passengers a suborbital view of the Earth and a minute of weightlessness

While its primary use would be super-fast travel, it could also be developed for various other users by government agencies. 'It can also be perceived as an aircraft that mixes space tourism with business travel,' said Juan Garcia Mansilla, an industrial designer based in Buenos Aires and the designer behind the jet

HOW IT WORKS 

'It uses a Rotary Ramjet engine as the air-breathing engine and then converts to a rocket to reach a suborbital altitude,' explains designer Juan Garcia Mansilla.

'A line of counterflowing jets of air on the aircraft’s leading edges reduces heat and drag during the ascent and re-entry phases of the flight'.

After reaching Mach 3, the engine would turn into a rocket engine by injecting liquid oxygen into the gas exhaust port, pusing the jet towards its suboribtal trajectory at supersonic speeds. 

At this point, as well as getting a breath-taking view of Earth, passenger would be to experience a minute of weightlessness. 

'The leading edge of the plane’s wings would be fitted with linear ‘Long Penetration Mode (LPM) nozzles’ so that air could flow out of them to create a ‘paradoxal’ effect whereby the plane could fly faster,' explains the designer. 

'As the speed increased to first supersonic, then hypersonic velocities, the engines or onboard tanks of compressed air would supply air to the LPM nozzles along the leading edges of the plane. 

'As the Parodoxal accelerates and climbs, the LPM effect would reduce thermal loads while also reducing overall drag'. 

'It uses a Rotary Ramjet engine as the air-breathing engine and then converts to a rocket to reach a suborbital altitude,' explains designer Juan Garcia Mansilla.

'A line of counterflowing jets of air on the aircraft’s leading edges reduces heat and drag during the ascent and re-entry phases of the flight'.

After reaching Mach 3, the engine would turn into a rocket engine by injecting liquid oxygen into the gas exhaust port, pusing the jet towards its suborbital trajectory at supersonic speeds. 

At this point, as well as getting a breath-taking view of Earth, passenger would be to experience a minute of weightlessness. 

'The leading edge of the plane’s wings would be fitted with linear ‘Long Penetration Mode (LPM) nozzles’ so that air could flow out of them to create a ‘paradoxal’ effect whereby the plane could fly faster,' explains the designer. 

'As the speed increased to first supersonic, then hypersonic velocities, the engines or onboard tanks of compressed air would supply air to the LPM nozzles along the leading edges of the plane. 

'As the Parodoxal accelerates and climbs, the LPM effect would reduce thermal loads while also reducing overall drag'. 

The LPM system was designed by Nasa engineers while the engine concept came from researchers at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec. 

Because of the way it works, the aircraft has a blended wing body shape with one long leading edge. 

This would mean that hundreds of passengers would sit in one large, theatre-like cabin with all galleys and baggage stowage at the back.

To enjoy the view, 'a large panoramic rooftop would definitely be a plus if it can be designed to endure the heat and stress' said the designer.  

'Gone are the days of tube-and-wing planes with their long rows of cramped seats,' he added.

The plane would be cooled down during re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere, after which it would gradually return to subsonic speeds. 

It would then drop below Mach 1 after reaching 50,000 feet (15,000 metres) in order to land on a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) runway.

While Juan Garcia Mansilla designed the look of the futuristic jet, the concept was thought up by Charles Bombadier, the founder of Imaginactive, while technical input was given by Nasa engineers led by Rebecca Farr.

While the idea of a hypersonic jet is ambitious, it's not beyond the realms of possibility. 

Nasa recently tested a scale version of its 'Blended Wing Body' (BWB) hypersonic aircraft.

The plane would be cooled down during re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere, after which it would gradually return to subsonic speeds.

Because of the way it works, the aircraft has a blended wing body shape with one long leading edge. This would mean that hundreds of passengers would sit in one large, theatre-like cabin with all galleys and baggage stowage at the back.

A graphic shows a selection of international routes and how long it might take the hypersonic jet to complete them, including London to New York in two hours and LA to Sydney in three hours

The triangle-shaped plane, that could one day be used by the US military, is reminiscent of spy planes and designed to cut through the air more efficiently.

Boeing is developing the plane alongside Nasa, and testing at the Nasa Langley Research Center in Virginia, in a 14- by 22-foot (4.2 by 6.7 metre) subsonic tunnel.

In October, aviation giants said that hypersonic flight is an 'inevitable' step that will revolutionize travel.

At the Forum on American Aeronautics late last month, officials from top aeronautics agencies including NASA, the Air Force, and Lockheed Martin, said we are now ‘on the brink of a new era in air transportation.’

According to the experts, however, bringing this technology to practical use over land will require significant reductions in the sonic booms caused by the craft, and numerous firms are now working to tackle this challenge.

COULD THE FUTURE OF AIR TRAVEL BE HYPERSONIC?

Supersonic could be superseded by something even faster.

Mach 2.5 is about the speed limit for gas-turbine engines. Any faster and the temperature and pressure of air entering the engine is too high for the turbo machinery inside. To fly at hypersonic speed - Mach 5 and above - requires a different type of engine.

A supersonic-combustion ramjet, or scramjet, has no moving parts. Instead of the rotating compressor and turbine in a jet engine, air is compressed and expanded by complex systems of shockwaves under the front of the aircraft, inside the inlet and under the fuselage at the rear.

Scramjets have been under development for decades, but a breakthrough came in May 2013, when the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and running until its fuel was exhausted.

The next step is to build a high-speed cruise missile, able to strike distant targets in minutes, not hours. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - has unveiled plans to develop a successor, dubbed the SR-72.

Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and ramjet/scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing.

If it can secure funding from the US Defense Department, Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030, potentially paving the way for commercial applications of scramjet technology.

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