NYC To London in Under an Hour
Hermeus Hypersonic Jet
Top Speeds of Mach 5.5
The Hermeus hypersonic jet with its projected top speed of Mach 5.5 or 4,219 mph is designed to be the world's fastest, reusable, hypersonic jet. It would bring the flight time between NYC and London down to under one hour. Hermeus, an aerospace startup headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is partnering with the US Air Force on the development of a hypersonic passenger jet. In a joint development contract, the USAF is providing $60 million for 3 years of development and testing. The hypersonic jet would also be used by the USAF for critical missions.
Hypersonic Travel
The hypersonic speed of the aircraft comes from a unique engine system called the turbine based combined cycle or TBCC. The 2- turbine combination is composed of a standard jet engine for takeoffs, landings and to build enough speed in flight to feed air into a second turbine. The second turbine is called a ramjet, which requires high speed air flows to ignite and power hypersonic speeds. The biggest challenge for developing this hypersonic aircraft is managing the tricky transition between the two turbines to achieve hypersonic flight.
Next Steps Are Testing
Hermeus has already started testing the dual turbine engine system. The engine system, called Quarterhorse, can fly a plane autonomously, which is a big advantage. Because the prototype planes are autonomous, engine testing can be performed without putting pilots at risk. The company plans to test a small prototype plane in 2023, a medium sized one in 2025 and a large commercial plane in 2029. Hypersonic travel is one of the most exciting and promising innovations now under development that is expected to revolutionize how we traverse the world in the not too distant future. To take a look at my latest book "Cool New Vehicles Revealed", go to https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B09CN2QWT4&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_6ZQ9TYY3DFK3XVVKR8MX
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