Time is money. In our increasingly busy lives, every second counts. Just to get from London to New York will take a traveler a minimum of seven and a half hours. That’s exactly why this French aircraft maker is creating a flight to get you from this same distance in just ONE HOUR!
Airbus has just filed a patent for a hypersonic jet that can take you more than four times faster than the speed of sound, and three times faster than a Concorde. The Mach 2 Concorde took an estimated 3.5 hours to complete the same trip. Their patent describes an “ultra-rapid air vehicle and related method of aerial locomotion.” Various forms of hydrogen will power the aircraft, using three different types of engines. It will have a cruising speed of over 3,000 mph.
Just to get the Airbus off the ground requires a pair of turbojets. Take-off on one of these vessels is pretty similar to that of a rocket ship. After all, it takes off vertically and requires an extra boost from rocket engines. This push will propel the plane over 30,500 meters high. The rocket motor would then turn off and retract into the fuselage. After reaching a certain altitude, wing-mounted ramjets would turn on and stabilize the jet to its final speed.
Unfortunately for now this super speedy plane is just an idea. The likelihood of the Airbus ever entering production isn’t that great. However, the technology created for this aircraft may be used and implemented to improve current flight times and potentially make it’s way into Airbus’s other projects.
